Get ready for a crash course in Halloween trivia!

When The Harris Poll asked 2,368 U.S. adults what their favorite holiday was, you might be surprised to learn that Halloween was number 3--beat out only by Christmas and Thanksgiving. And that fact is only the beginning of the fun Halloween trivia available to test your brain this week. (Spoiler alert: Wait 'til you hear how much cash we plunk down on this holiday.)

1. More than 171 million Americans plan to celebrate Halloween this year.
2. In 2016, people planned to spend an average of $82.93 per person, up from last year’s average of $74.34.
3. The total Halloween spending in America is projected to be $6.9 billion this year.
4. Even though Americans spend a lot on Halloween, they didn't come up with it. Ireland is usually credited with that.
5. The word "Halloween" came from the Catholics, who termed this celebration "All Hollow's Eve."
6. Oh but Celts came up with the idea of dressing up in costume.
7. After World War 2 (and the rationing) ended, children's magazine "Jack and Jill," the radio program "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," and the "Peanuts" comics influenced readers to dress up and go door-to-door asking for candy.
8. When "trick or treating" first started, kids had to dance to earn their treat.
9. The most popular costume category is "superhero," followed by "princess."
10. 41% shop for costumes in the first two weeks of October, 25% wait until the last two weeks.
11. The first Jack-o-lanterns were made from turnips, not pumpkins.
12. The largest pumpkin ever recorded, grown in 1993, was 836 pounds.
13. There's also a world record for pumpkin carving. It's 24.03 seconds.
14. The first record of the phrase "trick or treating" being referenced in print was in 1927. It was mentioned in a town called Blackie, which is in Alberta, Canada.
15. 7 in 10 houses say they hand out candy.
16. 17% look for Haloween ideas on Pinterest, while 17% got their inspiration from Facebook.
17. 50% of houses will decorate or dress up in a costume.
18. 50% of kids are hoping you'll put chocolate in their bags.
19. In Hollywood, there's a $1,000 fine for buying or selling silly string on Halloween.

Photo Credit: Michelle L.

Sources:

1. NRF
2. USA Today
3. TIME
4. Dark Shadow Ghost Tours
5. Huffington Post

Originally Published 10/27/2016