Facts in Babbitt

Booster clubs are organization that form to coordinate events and raise money for clubs, sports, teams, schools, and other community organizations. They are a particularly popular component of U.S. high schools.

The Phi Beta Kappa society is the oldest and most prestigious honor society for liberal arts and sciences. It became the first collegiate Greek-letter fraternity at the College of William and Mary in 1776. The “key” is Phi Beta Kappa’s symbol, given to members to display their membership in society. The key is engraved with a pointing figure, three stars, and the three Greek letters of the society's name.

The Legion of Honor is the highest order of merit in the French military. It was established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte. It has five distinct ranks of honor both military and civil.

The Brotherly and Protective Order of Elk is a fraternal order that was established in 1868. A fraternal order is an organized group of men that espouse traits that are religious, chivalric or semi-chivalric, or academic. They typically serve to create social and cultural bonds between men that will be economically or socially advantageous in the future. The Order of Elk at this time was a charitable service and a major organization in the U.S.

Lilidol was a type of toothpaste, and here Babbitt uses religious language to discuss the products that he is loyal to. He calls his daughter’s toothpaste “heathen toothpaste” because it is not the right brand. Since a “heathen” is a person who does not belong to a widely held religion and is thought to lack cultural and moral principles, Babbitt is suggesting that loyalty to a brand is akin to loyalty to God, thereby blending religion and consumerism.

Prohibition was an era in the U.S. in which the consumption, production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcohol was prohibited by the constitution. Between 1920 and 1933, it was illegal for all U.S. citizens to consume alcohol. While this law was supposed to keep citizens safe from alcohol, it actually gave rise to more nefarious ways of consuming alcohol, namely, buying black market booze from gangsters or brewing “moonshine,” an extremely potent and sometimes fatal home-brewed liquor.

The Associated Press is a news agency headquartered in New York City. The AP is cooperatively owned by a number of news organization that contribute stories to the publication.

A Little Theater is a small independent theater used for experimental, avant-garde plays and community productions.