Cracker Jack

Frederick William Rueckheim and his brother Louis made an early version of Cracker Jack and sold it at the first Chicago's World Fair in 1893. It was a mixture of popcorn, molasses, and peanuts and was called "Candied Popcorn and Peanuts".  Rueckheim came up with a way to keep the popcorn kernels separate. As each batch was mixed, a small amount of oil was added. Before this, the mixture stuck together in chunks. It was named by a sampler who said "that's crackerjack!". Cracker Jack is considered the world's largest purveyor of toys, distributing 17 billion since 1912. Some toys that were included were fortune tellers, whistles, and charms.

Vera Scarves

I decided to do a post on Vera scarves, since I have several and really love the prints and colorful patterns on them.Vera Neumann was known for her boldly patterned linens and scarves. It is said that she chose the ladybug as her logo because it means good luck. She had a job in New York as a textile designer, but left to design fabric and murals for children's rooms. Soon after, she meet George Neumann and married him.

Vera and George moved into a studio, where they started Printex. They built their own printing press to fit their dining room table and began making linen place mats. They were joined by their friend, Frederick Werner Hamm, who used his skill of sales to secure their first order from B. Altman, a department store. Eventually, they moved into an 1810 Georgian mansion.

While World War II was in full swing, Vera discovered that linen supplies were quickly dwindling. She came across some parachute silk at an army surplus store, marking the beginning of her scarf business. Her scarves became popular, and she was friendly with well-known women all over the country. Marilyn Monroe was a fan, as well as Grace Kelly and Bess Truman, who chose Vera fabrics to decorate the third-floor solarium windows and upholstery of the White House.

Sock hops

Poodle skirts, ankle socks, and saddle shoes...

In the 1950s, sock hops were usually held in the gym or cafeteria at a school. The term sock hop came about because dancers were required to remove their shoes to protect the floors. Sock hops were a big feature of the 1950s and rock and roll. Danny and the Juniors sang "At the Hop", which named popular dances and what generally happened at a sock hop. The kids just wanted to dance and have a good time.

Soda

Diet Rite Cola was introduced in 1958. The jingle for the soda was: Diet Rite Cola, good for you and children too because it hasn't got any sugar at all ... new Diet Rite Cola!

Pepsi was introduced in 1898, and was originally called Brad's Drink. In 1931, the company filed for bankruptcy, because of the prices of sugar. From the 1930s to the 1950s, "Pepsi-Cola hits the spot" was a slogan always used on radios, old movies, and television to describe the product.

Nehi soda was introduced in 1924. The Nehi Corporation was adopted in 1928 after the fruit-flavored sodas became popular. In 1955, they changed the name to Royal Crown Company. The original flavors were orange, grape, root beer, peach, among others.

Barq's is thought to have been first made in 1898, although some say it was about two years later. It is notable for having caffeine. The slogan was "Drink Barq's. It's Good".

Lux Soap

Originally named Sunlight Flakes, Lux has been around since 1899. Lux was founded by the Lever Brothers (today known as Unilever). It was launched in the U.S. in 1925. It became the world's first mass market toilet soap and is noted as a brand that pioneered female endorsements.

Although it was a laundry soap, the Lever Brothers discovered that women were using it as toilet soap. They offered consumers a soap "made in the French method" and promised them smooth skin, all for  ten cents. Some celebrities who endorsed Lux include Diana Rigg, Sandra Dee, Dorothy Lamour, Brigitte Bardot, Natalie Wood, Sophia Loren, Raquel Welch and Cheryl Ladd.

Sweets

I love candy, and I like packaging, so I thought I'd do a post on candy from the old days.

Up first, we have Mary Jane candy ( how cute is the little girl?). This candy was originally made in 1914! Next is Chick-O-Stick. It has been manufactured since the Great Depression. Bit O Honey first appeared in 1924.  Goetze's Caramel creams were first made in 1895! The wrapper of the Peanut Butter Bar features a lone star because it was made in Texas in 1947. Red Hots were created in the early 1930s.

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is arguably the world's most popular mystery author. Her books have sold around four billion copies. After Shakespeare's works and the Bible, Agatha's works rank third for books most widely published. Her works have been translated in over one-hundred languages. Her play The Mousetrap holds the record for longest run: it opened at the Ambassadors Theatre on November 25, 1952 and as of this year, is still going strong after more than 24, 600 performances.

Agatha Christie was the first recipient of the Mystery Writers of America's highest honor, the Grand Master Award. She also won an Edgar Award. Her works have been adapted for television, movies, video games, radio, and comics.

When she married her second husband, they often went on archaeological trips together. She would work on her stories in tents, and she would also help restore and label ancient artifacts, such as cleaning ivory pieces, taking field notes, reconstructing pottery, developing photos. Since she didn't want to influence the funding of the digs, she would always pay for her own lodging and travel expenses, and she supported the excavations as an anonymous sponsor. Christie died on January 12, 1976 at age 85.