Fun Facts About Homecoming

   Hypatia Fitzsimons

     Homecoming is a week of fun dress up days, game activities, and a football game. In honor of homecoming this week, here are some interesting fun facts about the first homecoming, the origin of the King and Queen, and the history of the corsage.The University of Illinois has claimed the title of the first homecoming. In 1910, two seniors wanted their team to win against the University of Chicago; for the past seven years, every time University of Illinois played Chicago, they lost, and the seniors thought if the school’s spirit could be brought up, then the team would be able to win. So, they invited all the fans and students and ended up having twelve thousand people at the game. The team won 3-0 prompting many other schools to start the homecoming tradition. Today, homecoming king and queen are important but the first homecoming didn’t even have them. Originally, a homecoming king and queen were picked to be on a float for the parade. In the 1930’s, the homecoming dance started to become more popular, leading to people voting for a king and queen. This started the tradition of having the king and queen crowned at the dance. Although the corsage was not originally for homecoming, it has become a tradition. People also wear them for other formal events, but the history of the corsage is interesting. Corsages have been around since ancient Greece and worn at weddings. The bride would wear the corsage to keep the evil spirits away from her and her husband. In the 16th century, it was worn whenever a woman would leave her house to help prevent diseases. Over time, the corsage was only worn for special occasions. Until the 1920s, the corsage was clipped onto the dress. But when the style of dresses changed, the corsage started to be worn on the wrist. These are some interesting traditions and beginnings that have led to today’s homecoming.