After Thanksgiving in 1953, the Swanson food company had a huge problem. They had badly overestimated turkey sales and were left with 240 tonnes of unsold frozen turkey sitting in refrigerated train cars. They had to keep the cars running just to keep the meat frozen, which was costing a fortune.
According to company legend, a salesman named Gerry Thomas noticed the aluminium trays used by airlines for in-flight meals. He suggested filling similar trays with turkey, stuffing, peas, and sweet potatoes, freezing them, and selling them as a complete meal you could heat up at home. The “TV dinner” was born - a perfect snack for the new craze of watching television.
Swanson sold 10 million TV dinners in the first year. The frozen meal industry exploded after that, and within a decade most American families had eaten one. The original tray fed the dinner and the entertainment all at once, which was exactly the point - no plates, no fuss, just dinner in front of the screen.
