From stomach medicine and food, to underwear and soft drinks, television commercials have been invading our lives since 1941, when the first advertisement aired. Can you guess what it was for?

Wait for it…

Featuring catch phrases, jingles, and characters that will linger in our minds long after going off the air, Americans have a love/hate relationship with commercials. We can’t stand them when they interrupt our favorite program, yet we often catch ourselves singing them in the car, or mimicking them to our co-workers. Advertisers know this, and that’s why they shell out the big bucks when it comes to pimping their products. Depending on the popularity of the show, they can fork over as much as $419,000, like Grey’s Anatomy charged in the 2007-08 season.

During the Super Bowl, companies can expect to pay more than a million dollars for a 30 second spot. Craziness.

Of course, we all have our favorites, whether we like to admit it or not. Remember “Snap, Crackle, Pop?” How about, “Good to the last drop?” I don’t know about those, but I do know how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Thirty-three.

While cigarette companies were banned from advertising on television in 1971, and alcohol can only be shown if it’s not consumed, the first item to ever be advertised is still around today. We wear them to remind us how late we are for work, or how much longer it’s going to be until the next bus.

You got it. The Bulova watch company paid $4.00 for a commercial that was just ten seconds long. They’re still around today, and are still known for making fine watches and clocks. The ad showed a picture of a clock superimposed over a map of the United States with a voice-over that said, “America runs on Bulova time.”

See you next week on Tuesday Trivia.