A Little Fun Trivia - "Did You Know..."

While looking through my latest issue of Good Housekeeping (a birthday subscription from my Mum) I came across a little trivia on Ziploc Bags.

1960 - Ziploc bags are developed for boiling. You'd submerge one, along with its contents in water on the stove top.

1973 - Snack Attack, now meant for storage, Ziploc takes off nationally in a big way.

1978 - Mealtime Makeover, the sandwich size gives new meaning to "brown-bagging it".

2006 - Zip To It - the super-secure double zipper debuts.

Now I'm not sure about everyone else but I find it interesting when I learn some simple fact or facts about a product I've used over and over.

The Ziploc info reminded me of an American Experience episode I recently watched on "Tupperware"

• Tupperware was developed in 1948 by Earl Silas Tupper in Leominster Massachusetts (this explains the name Tupper/ware, clever).

• During the early 1950's Brownie Wise developed the strategy for the famous Tupperware Parties. In 1951 Wise became Vice President of Tupperware Home Parties and in 1954 she became the first woman to appear on the cover of Business Week.

1950's Tupperware Party - Brownie Wise

• Tupperware is still sold mostly through a party plan, with rewards for hosts. A Tupperware party is run by a Tupperware consultant for a host who invites friends and neighbors into his or her home to see the product line. Tupperware hosts are rewarded with free products based on the level of sales made at their party. Parties also take place in workplaces, schools, and other community groups.

OK, so this got me thinking "I wonder what little bits of trivia I could find about other everyday products that you and I might use and maybe would find interesting


Peanut Butter:

• American's eat about 700 million pounds of peanut butter each year.
• It takes about 550 peanuts to make a 12 ounce jar of creamy peanut butter.
• One acre of peanuts will make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.

• The Jif plant in Lexington, Kentucky is reportedly the largest peanut butter factory in the world. 
• Peanut butter's high protein content draws moisture from your mouth. That's why it sticks to the roof of your mouth.
• One last peanut butter fact: The top three peanut butter brands in the United States are Skippy, Jif and Peter Pan.

The Peanut Butter Trivia above is courtesy of Food Trivia & Food Facts Section.


Heinz Ketchup:

• Over 650 million bottles of Heinz Ketchup are sold around the world in more than 140 countries, with annual sales of more than $1.5 billion.

• Although ketchup is the most famous Heinz product today, when Henry Heinz started the Company in 1869, his first product was bottled horseradish made from his mother's own recipe. Ketchup didn’t come along until seven years later in 1876. 

• While riding a train in New York City in 1896, Henry Heinz saw a sign advertising 21 styles of shoes, which he thought was clever. Although Heinz was manufacturing more than 60 products at the time, Henry thought 57 was a lucky number. So, he began using the slogan "57 Varieties" in all his advertising. Today the company has more than 5,700 products around the globe, but still uses the magic number of "57."

• To release ketchup faster from the glass bottle, apply a firm tap to the sweet spot on the neck of the bottle— the "57". Only 11% of consumers know this secret. Now you're "in-the-know".

The Heinz Ketchup Trivia Information above is courtesy of  Discover The World Of Heinz.

These are just a few fun facts, I'm sure with a little sleuthing you might find many more.