Kilroy was here

Kilroy was here is an American popular culture expression, often seen in graffiti. Its origins are indistinct, but recognition of it and the distinct doodle of "Kilroy" peeking over a wall is almost ubiquitous in the US.

One explanation places its origins in World War II United States soldiers, who would draw the doodle where they were stationed, encamped, etc.

The same doodle also appears in other cultures, but the character peeping over the wall is not named Kilroy but Foo. Australian children write "Foo was here" under the illustration, a habit possibly inherited from the United Kingdom, where such graffiti are known as "chads".

        \\//
      -(@ @)-
--oOO-- (_)--- OOo--

James J Kilroy was the man behind the signature. an inspector, lived in Boston, Massachusetts, served in the Legislature and during World War II worked in a shipyard in Quincy where the famous saying was born. Millions of service men saw the slogan on the outgoing ships and all they knew was that "Kilroy" had been there first. Service men began placing the graffiti wherever the US Forces landed, claiming it was already there when they arrived. Kilroy then became the "Super-GI" who had always already been wherever the GIs went.

External links

• The Legends of "Kilroy Was Here" (http://www.kilroywashere.org/001-Pages/01-0KilroyLegends.html)
• The Straight Dope: "What's the origin of 'Kilroy was here'?" (http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mkilroy.html)

Isaac Asimov in 1955 published a fictional short story entitled The Message which is the story of a thirtieth Century historian named George Kilroy who traveled back in time to witness historic events. It was while witnessing the first allied beach assault landings of world War II in Africa that Kilroy first left his mark scratched into shack on the beach.

The Message by Isaac Asimov can be found in the following books:

The Complete Stories Volume 1 by Isaac Asimov

Earth is Room Enough By Isaac Asimov

Kilroy Was Here is also the title of a 1983 rock opera/concept album by the band Styx, including the songs "Mr. Roboto" and "Don't Let It End".

de:Kilroy fi:Kilroy was here