Writer of Pop Culture

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This Day in Pop Culture

This Day in Pop Culture for April 6

Tony Awards, tuna and Twinkies.

April 6, 2020

2–3 minutes

1947: The Tony Awards are Presented for the First Time

Bet you didn’t know that a Broadway “Tony” is short for “The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre.” (Perry was the co-founder of the American Theatre Wing) The very first ceremony was held on this day in 1947. Eleven awards were given out for that first ceremony with the prizes consisting of a scroll, cigarette lighter and articles of jewelry. The first Tony medallion wasn’t given out until 1949. Today, there are over 25 categories of awards. Most of them are given for Broadway productions, but one is given for regional theatre as well.

1930: Twinkies Came to Town

It was baker James Alexander Dewar who came up with the Twinkie for the Continental Baking Company on this day.

The original ones had a golden snack cake filled with a banana-flavored cream. However, during World War II, bananas had to be rationed, and the bakery had to switch to a vanilla cream. The vanilla ones proved to be so popular that the banana ones have only occasionally been brought back to store shelves.

Despite what you have heard, Hostess Twinkies do NOT last forever. The original ones had a 26-day shelf life. Today’s Twinkies can last up to 45 days.

1992: ‘Sorry, Charlie’ Day

Charlie the Tuna has been a mascot for Starkist tuna since 1961. He was created by Tom Rogers of the Leo Burnett advertising agency. In numerous animated commercials for the product, Charlie would try to convince fishermen that he was a fish of good taste but in reality, he didn’t taste good. Over and over again, Charlie would be rejected and the fishermen would send down a note that simply said, “Sorry, Charlie.” Cathy Runyan-Svacina appreciated that no matter how many times he was rejected, Charlie the Tuna continued to find approval and created the “Sorry, Charlie” Day in 1992 which celebrates people who have been rejected and then lived to talk about it. (Image: Star Kist)