Free Republic

Some of the most memorable moments on PBS's long-running Antiques Roadshow happen when a guest learns their dusty attic find is worth a small fortune. They cry. You cry. It’s pure magic. Equally great are the moments when an appraiser catches a glimpse of something out of the corner of their eye and instantly knows: “This is going to be special.” A Tupperware Container Holding Christmas Magic That’s exactly what happened in 2005 when appraiser Simeon Lipman was at the table during an Antiques Roadshow taping in Providence, Rhode Island. A man walked up carrying—of all things—a Tupperware container. Inside?...

Claim: The character 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' was created for the Montgomery Ward group of department stores. Status: True. Origins: To most of us, the character of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer — immortalized in song and a popular TV special — has always been an essential part of our Christmas folklore. But Rudolph is a decidedly twentieth-century invention whose creation can be traced to a specific time and person. Rudolph came to life in 1939 when the Chicago-based Montgomery Ward company (operators of a chain of department stores) asked one of their copywriters, 34-year-old Robert L. May, to come up...