Who was Sadie Hawkins? Why do we have dances in her name?
We started by searching Yahoo! for the obvious: “Sadie Hawkins.” Just as we expected, the search turned up a number of web sites explaining the tradition. The lady in question is a character from the Lil’ Abner comic strip created by Al Capp in 1934. During its 43-year run, Lil’ Abner was one of the most popular comics in the U.S. When Al Capp introduced Sadie Hawkins Day to the strip on November 15, 1937, the event became a national sensation. The poor hillbilly Sadie was “the homeliest gal in the hills,” and her father worried that she would never find a husband. To find his Sadie a mate, he started a special day — Sadie Hawkins Day — that featured a foot race where unmarried women chased bachelors. If a woman caught one of the bachelors, the slowpoke single man would have to marry the lucky dame. Within two years of Sadie Hawkins Day premiering in the comic strip, Lif
