Posted on Sep 9, 2016
What is the origin of the "Lucky Cigarette" or turning one upside down?
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I have heard references to WWII but those make no sense because smokes didn't have filters. I have heard it was the one you asked for when you knew injuries were severe. I have heard Vietnam references that if you lived long enough to smoke it you could count yourself "lucky". Does anyone know the true origin, or have any speculations?
Posted in these groups: 
WWII World War Two
Tobacco
WWII World War Two Tobacco
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 5
Suspended Profile
SGT (Join to see) - Named after people who secured a lucky strike during the gold rush. Warmest Regards, Sandy :)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Strike
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Strike
Lucky Strike - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lucky Strike is an American brand of cigarettes owned by the British American Tobacco groups. Often referred to as "Luckies", Lucky Strike was the top-selling cigarette brand in the United States during the 1930s.[1]
SGT (Join to see)
LT this is where the name for Lucky Strike Brand Ciggarettes comes from. Is this also the origin of the upside down cigarette in a freshly opened pack?
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SGT (Join to see)
I agree it is a bad habit (one i am currently battling) but this wasn't meant to be an anti tobacco soapbox. Respect your opinion, and agree with it (wish the damn death dicks were never discovered or invented) but really curious about the lucky?
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SFC William Farrell
SGT (Join to see) - Good luck quitting Sgt Jones. Something I never stared with two parents who did, one who died as a result.
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Hey, SGT. I noticed you said something about WWII and it not making sense because they weren't filtered. Did some digging, and saw someone said this in a forum: "I've heard that soldiers would smoke unfiltered cigarettes backwards so that the label identifying the cigarette (and thus, the smoker's country of origin) would burn off first in case they came across the enemy. Perhaps it stems from that? I don't know, just a thought." That got me thinking, maybe there's some correlation. Maybe the lucky is the one they would flip, and once they were in a situation they knew it was going to end, it didn't matter if the enemy knew your country of origin if you were going to die anyway. I've also heard where they would save that one and smoke it once they came back from war to celebrate their survival. Not sure on the original origin, though (I've also heard that it comes from the rumor that Lucky Strikes used to come with a joint in the pack that was marked by a different colored filter, thus that was the "lucky" in the Lucky Strike). I just know it's something I do with my packs, SGT. For me, it's not a matter of luck, but, in case the war idea is true, a matter of remembering those who have fallen, and smoking one for them in their memory every time I get to that one. That may seem a little silly to some, but that's what it is for me. Hope that helped some, SGT.
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