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.
If you didn’t remember September 22 is National Elephant Appreciation Day, it’s fine. We’re sure the elephant probably didn’t forget.
People of all ages are fascinated by elephants. Discover some interesting facts about them to celebrate with us!
These captivating and social animals live between 60 to 70 years. Like humans, elephants develop remarkably close family bonds. Two species, the African Savannah and Asian elephant, exist. However, recently scientists suggested that the African Forest elephant is also a unique species and not a subspecies.
Each day, poachers kill approximately 100 elephants for their ivory, meat, bones, and skin.
These pachyderms are closely related to rhinoceroses and hippos. In fact, pachyderm describes thick-skinned animals with hooves or nails similar to hooves. While the African elephants outgrow the Asian, both hold the prize for the largest land mammal on earth. However, there are some differences between the species, though.
Differences Between African & Asian Elephants:
The African elephant grows larger ears.
In the Asian species, only the male grows tusks. However, in the African, both male and female elephants grow tusks.
One of the things that fascinate us about elephants is their trunk. It’s super sensitive. At the end, a small finger-like appendage grows. The appendage, also known as a lobe, gives elephants the ability to pick up small twigs, bits of grass and other items. On the Asian elephant, the lobe grows at the top tip of the trunk. However, the African elephant grows a lobe at the top and bottom, giving it extra pinching dexterity.
Both species live in herds. The herds are led primarily by a matriarch and comprised of sisters, daughters and their young. As the males grow, they move off on their own. Asian herds tend to be smaller than the African herds.
While both species are herbivores, their diets vary based on the available habitat.
Elephants are spirited and playful animals. Have you ever seen them frolic in the water? And they will defend their own with their mighty tusks. Whether foraging for food or digging a mud hole, their tusks are vital for survival. Since hunters value the ivory more than the life of the elephant, they endanger the continued existence of these majestic animals.
Do elephants never forget? Well, studies have determined that elephants have excellent memories. They remember vital locations over large areas of land. Elephants also show recognition of faces and other elephants even after a long time has passed. And while we may be forgetful from time to time, we don’t recommend forgetting this holiday!
NATIONAL ELEPHANT APPRECIATION DAY HISTORY
National Elephant Appreciation Day originated in 1996 to raise awareness concerning the plight of elephants.
The word “pachyderm” is often used in reference to an elephant. However, the elephant isn’t the only pachyderm in the world. The obsolete term was once a classification of animals which also included hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, pigs, and tapirs.
Elephants do sleep standing up, though not all the time. Wild elephants will spend more time sleeping standing up than their captive relatives.
Don’t forget to celebrate the Elephant on September 22nd! Show your appreciation today by visiting the elephants at your local zoo. Get involved. Learn about conservation and eliminating poaching.
Join in the worldwide observance on August 12 as we celebrate of one of Earth’s most magnificent creatures on World Elephant Day.
As the largest living land animal on earth, elephants weigh up to 9 tons and stand almost 13 feet high. They have large ears and a long trunk used for drinking, grabbing things, smelling and breathing. Interestingly, elephants also use their trunk as a way to defend themselves.
Elephants are native to Africa and Asia. There are two types of African elephant species–the savanna elephant and forest elephant. Only Asian male elephants grow tusks, while both African male and female elephants can grow tusks. Interestingly, Asian elephants only have one “finger’ on their trunk and African elephants have two.
5 Elephant Tidbits
An elephant has around 150,000 muscles in their trunk, allowing breath, drink, and smell.
Elephant skin is around 2.5 cm thick. The wrinkles in their skin holds water to help keep them cool.
On average, an elephant eats around 300 pounds of food a day, including grass, tree shrubs, fruit, and leaves.
Elephants can communicate by feeling vibrations in their bones, carried through the ground.
The temporal lobe responsible for memory is larger than a human, meaning an elephant has an amazing memory.
Elephants are spirited and playful animals. Have you ever seen them frolic in the water? And they will defend their own with their mighty tusks. Whether foraging for food or digging a mud hole, their tusks are vital for survival. Since hunters value the ivory more than the life of the elephant, they endanger the continued existence of these majestic animals.
Elephants are in danger of extinction. Poaching for ivory from the tusks and loss of habitat are two of the main problems elephants face today. Through communication, awareness, and community involvement, we can protect this animal and the beauty they bring to nature.
WORLD ELEPHANT DAY HISTORY
We encourage you to learn more about elephants by visiting the WorldElephantDay.org website.
Show your appreciation today by visiting the elephants at your local zoo. Get involved. Learn about conservation and eliminating poaching. Watch a documentary about elephants to learn more about this majestic creature. Use #ElephantAppreciationDay 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 Black Diamond Month is observed annually in January.
New Year, New Dreams! The New Year is a time to slow down. The majority of people are thinking, “What can I do better this year?” What about today? The Black Diamond Collection jewelry pieces are designed to remind us to be present, allowing us to incorporate meditation, peace and style into our daily routines.
While black diamonds are rare like thier gem grade whites they are not as rare as other diamonds of color. Diamonds of color are not imitation, simulated or created. Each natural diamond must possess specific elements to make thier color. Many are famous, The Hope Diamond is actually blue. Other colors include Champagne, Red, Green, Pink, and Yellow.
Diamonds are always a girls best friend, no matter their color. The same 4 C’s are just as important these colorful gems as they are in white diamonds. Many colors have a ranking system for color intensity as well.
Carole Shoshana, founder of the Black Diamond Collection, trained with a Grand Master of Feng Shui in Hong Kong for 16 years, and became a Grand Master herself upon his passing. The “Black Diamond Collection” was inspired by Carole’s spiritual journey through the sacred images of nature depicted in the philosophy of Shan Shui art. As an art form, Shan Shui evokes a sanctuary of peace, patience and harmony. Based on the teachings of the I Ching, Shan Shui captures the emotion and atmosphere of the mountains and waters, and Carole wanted to design a line of jewelry that also depicts the beauty she found in her personal journeys in the Far East. The black diamonds represent the reflecting stones she saw in the mountain streams as she walked with her Master and learned valuable lessons.
The Black Diamond Collection emerged from something called cracked ice, which is about finding breath and energy. Each part of the collection is symbolic of the wearer. The jewelry pieces are considered “portable energizers,” meaning that they provide support for wearers.
“My jewelry was inspired and designed to evoke and maintain those same meditative qualities in whomever wears it, to follow them throughout their day and to remind them of their dreams and desires,” says Carole. “Like all of my designs, every piece in my Black Diamond Collection works like a life compass, keeping the wearer on course toward personal happiness.”
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