blackout | Jen's Perspective Blog

National TV Dinner Day is observed annually on September 10th. In 1953, C.A. Swanson & Sons changed the prepackaged meal business forever. Introducing the TV Dinner revolutionized frozen food.

In 1962, Swanson stopped using the name TV Dinner. However, in the United States, the term remains synonymous with any prepackaged dinner purchased frozen from a store and heated at home.

Amazon Basics Classic TV Dinner Folding Tray with Storage Rack, Natural - Set of 4 Trays — Amazon Basics Classic TV Dinner Folding Tray with Storage Rack, Natural – Set of 4 Trays

Casual Home 5 Piece Tray Table Set, Espresso — Amazon Basics Classic TV Dinner Folding Tray with Storage Rack, Natural – Set of 4 Trays

The first Swanson TV Dinner consisted of a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, cornbread dressing, peas, and sweet potatoes. Originally, Swansons made the tray of aluminum. They separated each food item into individual compartments, too. At home, the cook heated the dinner in the oven. The cooking time was usually 25 minutes. Today, nearly all frozen food trays can be cooked in the microwave or a conventional oven.

Explore more…

When Swanson’s first sold TV dinners, they priced them at 98 cents. In the first year, production estimates reached 5,000 dinners. To their surprise, Swanson far exceeded that amount. In the first year, they sold more than 10 million of them.

TV Dinner Facts

1960 – Swanson added desserts to a new four-compartment tray.
1964 – Night Hawk name originated from the Night Hawk steak houses that operated in Austin, Texas, from 1939 through 1994. The original diners were open all night, catering to the late-night crowd. The restaurants produced the first frozen Night Hawk TV dinner in 1964.
1969 – The first TV breakfasts were marketed. Great Starts Breakfasts and breakfast sandwiches followed later.
1973 – Swanson markets the first Hungry-Man dinners. The meals included larger portions of its regular dinner products.
1986 – Microwave-oven safe trays debut on the market.
1986 – The Smithsonian Institute inducted the original Swanson TV Dinner tray into the Museum of American History.

Much has changed since the original TV Dinner. They also remain a popular choice for a fast and convenient meal, fun to eat in front of the TV!

Looking for something to watch? Check out some of my favorites here.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalTVDinnerDay

Get out a TV dinner, pop it in the microwave or oven, and enjoy! Use #NationalTVDinnerDay to post on social media.

Paragon Microwave Food Storage Tray Containers - 3 Section/Compartment Divided Plates W/Vented Lid, Set of 6 — Paragon Microwave Food Storage Tray Containers – 3 Section/Compartment Divided Plates W/Vented Lid, Set of 6

Ez Prepa [20 Pack] 32oz 3 Compartment Meal Prep Containers with Lids - Bento Box - Plastic - Stackable, Reusable, Microwaveable & Dishwasher Safe — Paragon Microwave Food Storage Tray Containers – 3 Section/Compartment Divided Plates W/Vented Lid, Set of 6

Bingo’s Birthday Month is an annual designation observed in December. You know the game that you probably loved playing with your grandparents and other family members growing up? Well, now’s its birthday Month! (Wouldn’t it be nice if we all got to celebrate our birthdays all month? Maybe we should start.) Play Bingo with friends and family at holiday parties to get everyone involved in the game that will bring you back to your childhood days.

Bingo is a popular game of chance often played for cash or prizes. The players are given a “bingo card” with a pattern of random numbers and one player reads out a series of randomly drawn numbers. The object is to be the first to complete a specific pattern (such as “five in a row”). The winner calls out “Bingo!” and collects their prize.

The game began in Italy in 1530 as “LoGiuoco del Lotto D’Italia,” and is still played there today, almost every Saturday. The French adopted the game in the 1770s as “Le Lotto.” Germany put an academic spin on the pastime a century later turning it into an educational game for children, tying in lessons on various subjects.

Bingo arrived in North America in 1929, where it was first called “beano.” Edwin Lowe, a New York salesman, modernized the game by hiring mathematician Carl Leffler, who developed thousands of combinations of numbered game cards. Lowe reportedly changed the name to “Bingo” when a winner shouted the word one day by mistake.

A Catholic priest approached Lowe in the thirties about using Bingo as a church fundraiser, thus kicking off the decades-long association of the game with the American Catholic community. The game is also popular in casinos, though casino Bingo has declined in many areas due to rising taxes, smoking bans, and the rise of online gaming.

And here’s a fun fact for you: Edwin Lowe, the man who modernized Bingo, also invented Yahtzee!

Explore More….

HOW TO OBSERVE #BingosBirthdayMonth

Play a game or two of Bingo and use #BingosBirthdayMonth to post on social media. Dig out your old game of Bingo, go buy a new one, or even make one at home! Get posting so others are inspired to play, too.