Halloween

 If you have an hour or so, this is an interesting listen on the history of Halloween, especailly the rise of modern Halloween celebrations. Trick or treating, as practiced today, arose as a bribe for children, especially boys, to not commit acts of vandalism during the holdiay. During WW2, due to sugar rationing and the subsequent lack of treats to give out, trick or treating died out, only to get revitalized by its appearance in 1950s Peanuts' Halloween strips and Halloween themed sitcom episodes.

In the 1960s, costume manufacturers like Ben Cooper introduced commercially made costumes, replacing homemade ones and candy manufacturers produced snack size candies, which edged out apples and popcorn balls.

Adults got involved more in the holiday when Coors, looking for a holiday that it could claim, seized on Halloween and enlisted horror host Elvira as spokesperson. The brand saw sales shoot up when her standee appeared in stores and other brands soon rushed into capitalize.

Although haunted houses had been a Hallween staple since the early 1970s, they were primarily run by non-for profit organizations. 1978's Halloween proved there was a demand for scarey movies and then more scary entertainment in general, setting the stage for today's more commercial haunted house attractions and all of the Halloween activities taking place during October.