History of Product Names & Trademarks: Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

About the history and origins of famous product names and trademarks, in this case Arm & Hammer Baking Soda.

ARM & HAMMER BAKING SODA The muscular arm and raised hammer represent Vulcan, Roman mythological god of fire and metalworking, and was once the symbol of the Vulcan Spice Mill in Brooklyn, N.Y. James A. Church, owner of the firm, took the symbol with him when he shut down the mill in 1867 and went into business with his father, a baking soda manufacturer. Shortly afterwards, the "power" behind Vulcan's arm and hammer became the trademark of Church's baking soda, which had the "force" to make bread dough rise.