Whatever you're feeling on this Election Day, you might enjoy a slice of an old-school election cake many Americans used to serve when it was time to vote. Plus: this week in Pelion, South Carolina, it's the Pelion Peanut Party.

When Elections in Hartford Were a Piece of Cake (Connecticut History)

Pelion Peanut Party 

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Happy National Easy Bake Oven Day! It was today in 1963 that kids could start baking by lightbulb thanks to these colorful little toy appliances. We'll explain how it all came together. Plus: today is National Candy Day, so probably a good time to visit the online Candy Wrapper Museum.

The Untold History of the Easy Bake Oven (Gizmodo)

Take a Peek Inside the Candy Wrapper Museum (Smithsonian)

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For el Dia de los Muertos, the living honor loved ones who have passed on with music, dancing, elaborate decorations and food, including what's known as pan de muerto, the bread of the dead. Plus: tomorrow at the Nashville Farmers Market, it’s the annual Turnip Green Festival.

San Antonio bakers explain pan de muerto's importance during Day of the Dead (MySanAntonio.com)

Turnip Green Festival (Nashville Farmers Market)

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Halloween didn't turn out so great for the title character of “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” But that led viewers to do something nice for him afterward. Plus: if you happen to be in Caracas, Venezuela, on this Halloween, keep an eye out for a spot known as the "Balcony of the Dolls."  

Charlie Brown’s Halloween Miracle (Now I Know) 

Creepy Doll-Filled Balcony in Caracas Looks Like the Set of a Horror Movie (Oddity Central)

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Today in 1735, the birthday of John Adams, the only president who ever spent a night bickering in bed with Benjamin Franklin. Plus: starting tomorrow in Kansas City, it's the World Series of Barbecue. 

That Time Ben Franklin Slept in the Same Bed With John Adams (Entrepreneur)

World Series of Barbecue 

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Today in 1861, the birthday of a woman with a very strange story. For reasons that aren’t at all clear, Karolina Olsson went to bed as a 14 year old and apparently didn’t wake up until she was in her forties. Plus: someone marked Halloween by playing keyboards in a New York subway station dressed up as Michael Myers. 

To this day, the questions remain (Svenska Dagbladet via Archive.org)   

Karolina Olsson: The Woman Who Allegedly Slept for 32 Years (Amusing Planet)

Keyboardist Dressed as Michael Myers Plays the ‘Halloween’ Theme in New York City Subway Station (Laughing Squid)

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For National Chocolate Day, the story of a World War II-era chocolate bar that wasn't too sweet, and that’s exactly how it was supposed to be. Plus: there was a couple who had a zombie-themed wedding at a bar in Little Rock, Arkansas back in the 2000s. 

How Hershey’s Chocolate Helped Power Allied Troops During WWII (History.com)

Wild days at White Water Tavern (Arkansas Times)

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Starting tomorrow in Manitou Springs, Colorado, it’s an event known as the Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival. And oh man, does the story of Emma Crawford and her coffin take some explaining. Plus: today in 1964, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall recovered a fumble and took off toward the end zone... just not his team's end zone.

Emma Crawford Coffin Races and Festival (ManitouSprings.org)

Vikings: 50 years later, Jim Marshall’s wrong-way run remains an NFL classic (Twin Cities Pioneer Press)

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Today in 1957, the water tower in Norwood, Ontario, which looked like a big can of soda or beer, suddenly looked like a big crushed can of soda or beer. We'll explain why. Plus: starting Saturday at Coarsegold Historic Village, near Yosemite National Park, it’s the Coarsegold Tarantula Awareness Festival.

Norwood: Norwood once had a crushed beer can water tower (Peterborough Examiner)

Coarsegold Tarantula Awareness Festival (Yosemite This Year)

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My chemistry teacher called today Mole Day, and while this story doesn't have much chemistry in it, it does have a mole: a Londoner called William Lyttle who dug huge tunnels around his place. Plus: ever wanted your clothes to act like a Theremin? A pair of researchers from the Intelligent Instruments develops sound-rich smart fabrics known as "e-textiles."

Great London Eccentrics: The Mole Man Of Hackney (Londonist)

e-textiles make sounds like electronic musical instruments when users touch or stretch them (designboom)

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