1. The word "pumpkin" showed up for the first time in the fairy tale Cinderella.
A French explorer in 1584 first called them "gros melons," which was translated into English as "pompions," according to History. It wasn't until the 17th century that they were first referred to as pumpkins.

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2. The original jack-o'-lanterns were made with turnips and potatoes by the Irish.
In England, they used large beets and lit them with embers to ward off evil spirits. Irish immigrants brought their customs to America, but found that pumpkins were much easier to carve.

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3. Pumpkins are grown on every continent except Antarctica.
Which makes quite a bit of sense considering, oh you know, Antarctica is a 24/7 icy tundra.

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4. Over 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin are produced each year in the United States.
The top pumpkin-producing states are Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California.

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5. Morton, Illinois, calls itself the "Pumpkin Capital of the World."
According to the University of Illinois, 95% of the pumpkins grown in the U.S. are harvested in Illinois soil. Morton is allegedly responsible for 80% of the world's canned pumpkin production.

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Courtesy of Good Housekeeping, check out more facts at https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-nutrition/a22544/facts-about-pumpkins/