Ice cream is important to Americans. Not only does the treat have its own national day (the third Sunday in July) but a whole month as well (also July). According to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), 97% of us love the stuff – or at least like it. Any every year, company try to grab more attention to their products by offering new flavors and novelties. Even so, they can’t really compete with the classics. The top three flavors are vanilla, chocolate and strawberry after all.
But it’s not just ice cream that we are fans of. What kid isn’t a fan of Popsicles? Here’s a brief history of some of our favorite frozen treats:
Ice Cream
Nobody really knows who invented ice cream. The frozen treat has a long and complicated history that goes back as far as 500 BC. Quaker colonists brought over their ice cream recipes to America in the 1650’s and the first ice cream shops appeared in the New York City during the colonial era. According to Taste, the first American ice cream parlor opened sometime between 1774 and 1776.
Some of the earliest partakers of the treat include Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. In fact, records have been found that showed that Washington spent about $200 on ice cream during the summer of 1790. Dolley Madison, wife of President James Madison, served ice cream at her husband’s Inaugural Ball in 1813.
The first small hand-cranked ice cream makers were invented during the 1840’s. Bassett’s Ice Cream in Philadelphia opened in 1861, making it America’s oldest ice cream brand. (And it’s still run by the Bassett family!) During prohibition time, ice cream parlors became a popular spot for socializing. It is estimated that half a million “soda jerks” were employed during the 1930s and 1940s. (Image: Ritaundmit / Pixabay)
Ice Cream Cones
It is said that concessionaire Ernest A. Hamwi helped to create the first ice cream cone. The story goes like this: During the 1904 St. Louis Fair, Ernest sold a waffle-like pastry known as zalabis. Apparently, another vendor was selling ice cream in a booth located right next door to his, but the ice cream vendor was running out of dishes to serve it in. Hamwi rolled up one of his waffles and handled it to the ice cream salesman so that it could be used as a holder for ice cream. Needless to say, the idea took off. (Image: Agridelight Milk / Pixabay)
Banana Split
Though there is a debate about who created the banana split first, more people tend to agree that David Strickler, a pharmacy clerk in Latrobe, Pennsylvania created the concoction in 1904 when challenged to make something “different.” Meanwhile, the city of Wilmington, Ohio claims that E.R. Hazard was the first to make a split in 1907.
Both cities continue to celebrate the achievement, but Strickler has the edge because he is also credited for creating the long, glass, bowls specially designed for banana splits in 1905.
While banana splits can really be made with any combination of ice cream and toppings (as long as it contains a banana), the classic split features one banana cut lengthwise, three scoops of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate and strawberry), pineapple, strawberries, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, cherries and crushed nuts. (Image: G.C. / Pixabay)
Root Beer Float
The humble root beer float, also known in some circles as a “black cow” is said to have been invented by Frank J, Wisner in 1893.
Wisner was the owner of Cripple Creek Brewing Co. in Colorado, and it is said that while looking at the nearby Cow Mountain, Frank thought that the peak resembled ice cream floating on top of a beverage. This vision was the inspiration for the dessert beverage.
Though the first root beer float was served on August 19, 1893, today, the National Root Beer Float Day is celebrated on August 6. (Image: Stacy Spensley / Wikimedia)
Ice Cream Bar
The first ice cream bar was invented in Iowa in the early 1920’s. It is said that Chris Nelson, a pharmacy shop owner in Iowa, was inspired by a boy who couldn’t decide if he wanted a candy bar or ice cream as a treat.
Nelson called his chocolate covered ice cream invention “I-Scream-Bars”, later known as Eskimo Pies and most recently, Edy’s Pie. But the Good Humor ice cream company took the idea further when confectioner Harry Burt invented ice cream on a stick in 1920. (Image: Olena Bohoyyk / Pexels.com)
Rocky Road
William Dreyer is credited for creating Rocky Road ice cream in March 1929 in Oakland, CA. Dryers’ website says that he cut up pieces of walnuts and marshmallows with a pair of sewing scissors he borrowed from his wife and added them to chocolate ice cream made by his partner, Joseph Edy. Later, the walnuts were switched out for almonds. Dreyer and Edy gave it the name of “Rocky Road” after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 “to give folks something to smile about in the midst of the Great Depression.” (Willia Lam / Wikipedia)
Hot Fudge Sundae
Clarence Clifton once owned C.C. Brown’s candy shop in Los Angeles which was a favorite of Hollywood royalty. It was his son, Clifton Hibbard who experimented with different chocolate sauce recipes before creating the original hot fudge sundae in 1938.
Today, Lawry’s Restaurants continue to offer the original C.C. Brown’s Hot Fudge Sundae made with Fosselman’s Vanilla Bean ice cream, toasted almonds, whipped cream and the star of the show. According to IDFA, hot fudge is still the most popular ice cream topping at 35% followed by caramel sauce (24%) and chocolate sauce (21%). (Image: Ritaundmit / Pixabay)
Ice Cream Sandwich
There was once a time when slabs of plain ice cream were sold on the streets of New York called “hokey-pokeys.” Later in 1899, Jeri Quinzio took the treat further by sandwiching slabs of vanilla ice cream between two graham wafers. People loved the fact that it was so portable without the need for dishes or spoons.
In 1945, Jerry Newberg improved on the treat even further by sandwiching the ice cream between two chocolate cookies. (Image: Wikipedia)
Popsicle
The very first Popscile was created as an accident. In 1905, Frank Epperson, who was just 11 years old at the time, mixed up a batch of a juice-like powdered soft drink mix with a stirring stick. He accidentally left it out overnight and the temperature dropped below freezing. It was a hit – at least with him.
It wasn’t until 1922 when Epperson decided to try out his invention at a “fireman’s ball”, and this time, it really was a hit.
Epperson went on to sell “Epsicles” at the Neptune Beach amusement park in 1923 and received a patent for them in 1924. Legend has it that it was children that encouraged him to rename the product to Popsicle.
Main Image: Lee, Russell/Wikimedia
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