In 1953, Swanson overestimated the number of frozen turkeys that it would sell on Thanksgiving by 260 tons. One of the company’s salesman, Gerry Thomas, decided to slice up the extra meat and repackage it–creating the first ever TV dinner. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: How 260 Tons of Thanksgiving Leftovers Gave Birth to an Industry | History | Smithsonian Magazine