Pumpkins Revealed

Pumpkins are actually fruit! Their seeds make them a member of the cucurbita - or gourd - family, which includes squash, cucumber and melon.

The largest pumpkin in North America weighed in at 1,262 pounds in Canby, Oregon in 2001.

The jack-o-lantern originates from an Irish myth about a man named "Stingy Jack" who tricked the devil and was sent into the night with only a burning piece of coal to light his way. He put the hot coal into a carved out turnip and still roams the earth to this day. To scare away Jack and other wandering spirits, the Irish carved scarey faces into turnips and potatoes, placing them in windows and doorways.