1. Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday. Source

2. Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America. Source

3. Halloween was made in only 21 days in 1978 on a very limited budget. The movie was shot in the Spring and used fake autumn leaves. The mask used by Michael Meyers in the movie “Halloween” was actually William Shatner’s mask painted white.Source

4. Halloween is second only to Christmas in spending. Consumers will spend over $2.5 Billion during Halloween. That’s a whole lot of candy, costumes, decorations, and party goods. Source

5. It is believed that the Irish began the tradition of Trick or Treating. In preparation for All Hallow’s Eve, Irish townsfolk would visit neighbors and ask for contributions of food for a feast in the town. Source

6. The jack-o-lantern tradition comes from an old Irish folk tale about a man named Stingy Jack. It was said that he was unable to get into heaven and was turned away from the devil because of his tricky ways. So he set off to wander the world looking for a resting place. For light, Stingy Jack used a burning coal ember in a hollowed out turnip. When the Irish immigrated to the U.S. during the Great Potato Famine of 1845-1850, they found that turnips were not as readily available like they were in the homeland. So they started carving pumpkins as a replacement for their tradition. Source

7. The number 1 candy of choice is the Snickers bar. Source

8. An October 2008 CNN Poll showed:

• A majority of us, 48 percent, believe in ghosts.
• Twenty-two percent of Americans say they’ve seen or felt a ghost.
• Women are more likely to say they believe in ghosts than are men.
• More than half of younger Americans aged 18 to 45 believe in ghosts.
• A whopping 78 percent of us believe in life after death.
Source

9. The next full moon on Halloween night will be October 31, 2020Source

10. Major Events That Occurred on Halloween: 834: The first Halloween (All Hallows Eve) is celebrated
1876: A cyclone hits Bengal, killing about 200,000
1918: Spanish flu kills 21,00 people in the U.S. in one week
1922: Mussolini becomes the Premier of Italy
1926: Harry Houdini dies in Detroit
1941: Mount Rushmore is completed
1952:The first thermonuclear bomb was detonated in The Marshall Islands
1968: President Johnson issued a “cease all bombing” order in North Vietnam
Source