Halloween Traditions
A Celtic tradition of using hollowed-out turnips with candles inside led to these modern creations.
Jack-o-lanterns
1998: This Mideast nation announces it will no longer cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors
Iraq
"Jaws", about one of these sea creatures, kept lots of folks out of the water
Shark
To pass the time on a rainy day in Geneva, she & her husband & friends were telling each other ghost stories; she came up with "Frankenstein"--not bat for starting your first novel at age 18.
Mary Shelley
The only species of this mammal found in the U.S. is the nine-banded one
Armadillo
It's said these 2 colors trace back to the festival of Samhain, one representing death & the other the autumn harvest
Black and orange
1926: There's no escape for this magician who dies following a rupture of his appendix
Harry Houdini
You can see this monster from Egypt's past in a film from back in 1932 or at Universal Studios
Mummy
On the way home at midnight Ichabod Crane thinks this alliterative specter is in pursuit & has thrown its cranium at the schoolmaster; in the morning, a broken pumpkin shell is found, but not Ichabod Crane
The Headless Horseman
The Tibetan sand type of this animal can live at altitudes above 13,000 feet
Fox
This no-hands Halloween game may be related to the Roman celebration of the goddess Pomona
Bobbing for apples
1961: This man's body is removed from Lenin's tomb
Stalin
"AVP" is short for...
Aliens versus Predators
"Welcome to Dead House" from 1992 was the first of the books in the "Goosebumps" series by this author that by now has sold a spooky number of copies
R.L Stein
The Dall is the largest species of these toothed whales often mistaken for dolphins
A Porpoise
This medieval English tradition eventually led to modern day trick or treating
All Souls Day, where the poor would go "souling," knocking on doors and offering prayers for residents' deceased loved ones in exchange for food.
1846: Heavy snowfall traps this carnivorous "Party" in the Sierra Nevada mountains
The Donner Party
This lovestruck giant monster ends up far from Skull Island, his home
King Kong
The burial of Stephen King's daughter's cat Smucky helped inspire this novel that the author has said is just as dark as can be
Pet Cemetery
It's easy to see by the color why this critter is called an emerald tree ____
Boa
This 20th century performer's museum in Scranton, Penn. features an online seance every Halloween in honour of his death which was on Halloween
Houdini
1956: The Brits & the French invade Egypt in response to the nationalization of this
Suez Canal
Abe Sapien helps this well-"red" guy who went from the Dark Side to working for our side
Hellboy
"The story had held us round the fire, sufficiently breathless", is how this author began "The Turn of the Screw", about a governess trying to protect children from the effects of malevolent spirits
Henry James
The name of this camel breed comes from the Greek for "running"
Dromedary