# Tom Smith - inventor of the Christmas cracker

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-smith-inventor-of-the-christmas-cracker/257272>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 28, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-smith-inventor-of-the-christmas-cracker/257272 "2004-07-28T13:58:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Graveyard\_Tycoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Graveyard\_Tycoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Graveyard_Tycoon)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-smith-inventor-of-the-christmas-cracker/257272/1 "2004-07-28T13:58:58Z")

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Does anyone know the birth and death dates of Tom Smith, inventor of the Christmas cracker? 😕 I’ve searched the Net but can’t find anything on his dates.

Thanks,  
Adam D

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**Author:** ![Sassafras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@Sassafras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassafras)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-smith-inventor-of-the-christmas-cracker/257272/2 "2004-07-28T15:51:55Z")

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What’s a christmas cracker?? 😕

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**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-smith-inventor-of-the-christmas-cracker/257272/3 "2004-07-28T16:20:33Z")

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Cannot find his exact birth date but from this link :- [http://www.absolutelycrackers.com/historynew.html](http://www.absolutelycrackers.com/historynew.html)

It must have been in the 1820’s. No luck about when he died but at least this link will tell **Sassafras** all about the Christmas cracker.

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**Author:** ![Sassafras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@Sassafras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sassafras)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-smith-inventor-of-the-christmas-cracker/257272/4 "2004-07-28T19:35:20Z")

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Ahhh . Learn something new every day. I had never heard of a “christmas cracker” before ! :smack:

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**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-smith-inventor-of-the-christmas-cracker/257272/5 "2004-07-28T22:55:04Z")

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How can you have Christmas without crackers? No stupid hats, no silly plastic toys to fight over, no really bad jokes to amuse you and yours with? I can’t imagine such a Christmas.

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-smith-inventor-of-the-christmas-cracker/257272/6 "2004-07-28T23:46:53Z")

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Like Xmas Fortune Cookies, crossed with Crackerjack.

That explode.

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**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-smith-inventor-of-the-christmas-cracker/257272/7 "2004-07-29T00:00:41Z")

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Except instead of a fortune you get a really bad knock-knock joke.

And they don’t actually explode…they just make a bang loud enough to send the dog running. 😃