Promenade or prom today is a common tradition among most Americans. However, Prom has not always been with us. In fact the idea of prom came along less than a century ago.

Prom is originally from Philadelphia, which is home to some of the nations oldest pre-secondary schools. It was created in the 1920s to replace the senior play and dance. By the 1930s Prom was a common event across the United States.

Literature also caught on to the prom phenomenon in the 1930s. Since 1934 prom books, plays and magazines have been published. This was also when the first Prom Guidebook was published.

It took hold in the 1950s as a thriving post war economy allowed for the school gym to step aside and allow for prom to be held in hotels or ballrooms. In 1963 President John F. Kennedy rescheduled a 1000 dollar per plate fundraiser in California to accommodate a local prom. President Gerald Ford’s daughter Susan hosted her school’s prom at the White House.

Prom is not just for the kids. In 2011 Approximately 6.6 billion dollars were spent on prom. Industries thrive during this great American tradition.