The radio cast of The Jack Benny Program, from left: Eddie Anderson,
Dennis Day, Phil Harris, Mary Livingstone, Jack Benny, Don Wilson,
and Mel Blanc. (1932-1955)

Jack Benny and Fred Allen, 1936.

Then & now: Cracker Jack and its signature sailor mascot have
evolved over the years.

One of the oldest American forms of junk food, the Cracker Jack was invented
and trademarked in 1896 when the brothers who formed F.W. Rueckheim &
Bro., mixed molasses-flavored, caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts together.

Fredrich William Rueckheim

   
Louis Rueckheim
           

Today,January 19, celebrates all of the different ways the corn-based treat      
popcorn can be enjoyed savory or sweet, caramelized, buttered or plain.

The Popcorn Board, a non-profit started in 1998, says Americans consume
13 billion quarts of popcorn a year, more than any other country in the
world.

July 1960

Hit Parader was first published in 1942 during World War II out of Derby, Connecticut and became one of the longest-running U.S. music magazines.

The publication pre-dated the music charts by a few years.  Initially the
magazine would provide the lyrics to the popular songs of the day, a practice
which came to an end in the ’70’s.

The magazine came into the spirit of pop and rock with the arrival of first,
The Beach Boys and then especially with the explosion on the scene by
The Beatles.  At that point in time it took on a whole new look and feel,
often mimicked by many other ‘teen’ magazines which began to ‘pop’ up.

Hit Parader migrated through the various genre’s during the 1970’s – moving
on to hard rock, metal and the like up into the mid 1980’s.  The magazine
went through some troubled times in the 1990’s shutting down for a time
and finally called it quits after putting out it’s final issue in December of
2008.

December, 1943

March, 1958

January, 1959

December, 1969

Guy Lombardo’s Final New Year’s Eve. Appearance – 1976-1977.