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.
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.
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.
As the holiday season fades away, our minds turn to our next opportunity for a vacation. While that may seem far off, National Shop for Travel Day on the second Tuesday in January reminds us to start planning now!
Today, there are more tools and resources than ever before to help us shop for that perfect trip. How we choose to travel, our accommodations, and where we relax and have fun has become mobile and virtual. Whether we’re planning a weekend getaway or our dream vacation, we can shop, compare, plan, and book all in just a few clicks.
Advancements made by travel technology innovators and intermediaries have not only provided us with the tools to expertly guide us through the booking experience, but they get us there, too. They connect us to the people who put us in the beautiful places we want to stay. Today, more than ever before, we can find just the accommodation we’ve been seeking and even tour it before we go, view ratings and firsthand accounts from other travelers, and catch a glimpse of what our trip will be like long before it begins.
Traveling for pleasure – or for work – can be a tremendous expense in both dollars and time, and you want the reassurance that you’re making the right choices whether you’re going home to visit old friends or visiting a city for the very first time. These apps and tools provide that confidence and actually make it fun to explore the limitless possibilities for travel.
Wherever and whenever you have your heart set to go, start shopping now. Whatever the trip may be, National Shop for Travel Day is the perfect time to visit an online travel company and book it.
The Travel Technology Association founded National Shop for Travel Day in 2018 to celebrate the joy of travel and the technology innovators who have transformed the way we all shop, compare, plan, and book our vacations. It’s a perfect time! Follow Travel Tech @traveltech on Twitter.
About the Travel Technology Association
The Travel Technology Association (Travel Tech) is the premier trade association for the travel technology industry. Founded in 1998, Travel Tech represents the leading innovators in travel technology. Travel Tech includes global distribution systems, online travel agencies, metasearch companies, and short-term rental platforms.
These technology innovators, directly and indirectly, create the infrastructure and the marketplace that travelers, suppliers, and intermediaries benefit from today. Travel Tech members transform the way we travel, providing suppliers and consumers with invaluable access to options while purchasing and managing their travel.
Technology has made shopping for travel easier. Not only can we comparison shop, but it also makes planning a lot easier. Celebrate the day by making a list of the places you dream of going, need to go, and would like to see again.
Compare hotels, rentals, and other lodgings available. Secluded cabins, RV rentals, and camping gear are available, too.
Check flights, trains, or even routes for taking a road trip. Don’t forget to plan stops along some of the country’s most scenic byways and historic routes.
Ask friends and family for the best travel agents to help you make the most of your travel plans.
Also, ask those friends about their favorite trips – business and vacations. They can help you find the best places to explore.
Find the ideal times of the year to travel for business and pleasure. If you’re trying to avoid crowds, the offseason may be the best time of year to travel.
Discover unique vacations that are worth writing home about.
Look for adventures that take you away from the crowd and give you a unique view of the world.
Make a list of places you would like to go and check the dates. Start shopping on your favorite sites or contact your travel agent. Use #ShopForTravelDay to share on social media.
National Ding-a-Ling Day on December 12th encourages us to reconnect with people we once talked to often.
Ding-a-Lings on this day call the people they haven’t heard from in a while. It may be an old classmate, co-worker, or neighbor from years ago. Or perhaps a call will go out to the child who used to mow the grass during the summer. How about that couple who carpooled for soccer? What was their name? Many people slip out of our lives who would love to hear the ding-a-ling of a call from you. Why don’t you join the Ding-a-ling club and call someone this year?
NATIONAL DING-A-LING DAY HISTORY
In 1972, Franky Hyle placed a free ad in Chase’s Calendar of Events with his PO Box Number in Melrose Park, IL stating that for $1 you can join the National Ding-A-Ling club. The club, with 871 original members, would call friends and relatives they haven’t heard from in a while every year on December 12. In a 1975 Lakeland Ledger article, the idea for the club developed during a discussion among friends about people being friendlier and led to the meaning of the term ding-a-ling. After looking up the word, they found it meant “One who hears bells in his head.”
From this evening discussion, Hyle created the National Ding-A-Ling club. The tradition grew, and on December 12th, millions of people will call those individuals dear to them.
HOW TO OBSERVE #DingALingDay
Call someone you haven’t heard from in a long time and use #DingALingDay to post on social media.
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