Short answers, pulled from the story.
Pumpkin cultivation dates to between 7,000 and 5,500 BC, based on pumpkin fragments found in Mexico. Wild species of Cucurbita and the earliest domesticated varieties are native to North America, specifically parts of present-day northeastern Mexico and the southern United States.
The record for the world's heaviest pumpkin was set in October 2023 at 1,246.9 kilograms, or 2,749 pounds. Most record-breaking giant pumpkins are varieties of Cucurbita maxima.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, pumpkin is a 17th-century corruption of the earlier English word pompion, which ultimately derives via French and Latin from the Greek word pepōn. An alternative theory links it to the Massachusett word pohpukun, meaning "grows forth round".
Illinois produces 41 percent of the overall U.S. pumpkin crop and 95 percent of the portion intended for processing. Most of that production comes from five counties in the central part of the state.
The tradition of carving Halloween lanterns originated in Ireland and Scotland using turnips, mangelwurzels, and swedes. Immigrants to North America switched to pumpkins because they were more readily available and much larger, making them easier to carve. The carved pumpkin lantern was not recorded in association with Halloween until 1866.
Roasted pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas, are a rich source of protein, unsaturated fatty acids, and dietary minerals. The seeds are roughly 1.5 centimeters long and light green in color, usually covered by a white husk, though some varieties produce hull-less seeds.