Guess the year #1
This was the year morning news, roadside motels and a funny potato face all got their start.
A 98-cent kit of plastic eyes and noses became the first toy advertised on TV, and kids brought their own real potato.
A brand-new morning program called Today went on the air, so families could catch the news over breakfast before work and school.
The first Holiday Inn opened in Memphis, with a pool, air conditioning and no extra charge for the children.
With Halloween a week away, it's sweet to remember that some of the best faces ever made started at the kitchen table.
What year do you think this was?
Show the answer
Answer: 1952. The giveaways are Mr. Potato Head becoming the first toy advertised on television, the Today show's first broadcast on NBC, and the first Holiday Inn opening in Memphis.
Sources:
- https://pentacrestmuseums.uiowa.edu/me-and-my-spuds
- https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/culture-magazines/today
- https://www.thehenryford.org/collections/explore/articles/kemmons-wilson-s-holiday-inns
Guess the year #2
Here is a little puzzle from the kitchen table: which year am I thinking of?
A brand-new frozen turkey supper came on a divided tray, made for eating in front of the set, for 98 cents.
TV Guide, a pocket-sized magazine of the week's television listings, reached newsstands for the very first time.
Chevrolet showed its first Corvette at a big New York car show, a white two-seater with a red interior.
Families went to the movies to see Disney's brand-new cartoon of Peter Pan flying off to Never Land.
Supper got a good deal easier that year, and somehow the whole family still ended up in the same room. With Halloween a week away, I can already picture a few little Peter Pans at the door.
Which year do you think it was?
Show the answer
Answer: 1953. The Corvette's first showing, the first issue of TV Guide and Swanson's first TV dinner all came that year, and Disney's Peter Pan opened in theaters that February.
Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frozen_meal
- https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/tv-guide
- https://www.museumofamericanspeed.org/1953corvette.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Pan_(1953_film)
