November 4, 2022 - National Fig Week | National Candy Day

Welcome to November 4, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a prehistoric fruit and the sweet invention born of necessity. Figs are an interesting fruit. They’ve been around about 100 million years. Fig trees were on Earth at the same time as dinosaurs. Humans began cultivating them in the Middle East as the first civilizations grew across the region. When they made their way to Greece, figs became a staple of diets. This is also true for Italy, Spain, and Northern Africa. Figs trees were planted across California by the missionary Father Junipero Serra. And today the state produces 100% of the figs consumed in the United States. And if you’re not sure how to enjoy this Mesozoic fruit, there’s always the Fig Newton. During National Fig Week, take a fresh look at the fruit that outlived dinosaurs. They say that necessity is the mother of invention and in the case of M&Ms candy, this phrase is certainly true. This candy was created in 1941, and during World War II M&Ms were exclusively sold to the military. Their small size and candy coating made them the perfect candy for military rations: they were easy to transport and the candy coating prevented the chocolate from melting. When soldiers returned home, they were hooked and wanted more, so the Mars Company made them available to the general public. Soon other companies made a knockoff version and Mars had to mark its candy coated chocolates with the trademark M that we still see today. On National Candy Day, treat yourself to something to make your day a little sweeter. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices