February 4

National Homemade Soup Day

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1790 John Bachman was born. A Naturalist who wrote some of the text for John James Audubon’s albums of birds and mammals of North America. He also published his own works on botany, agriculture and southern animals.
1810 Alexis Benoit Soyer was born. French chef and author. Chef of the London Reform Club. He opened kitchens in Ireland during the famine to sell food at 1/2 price and was an advisor on food to the British army during the Crimean War. Invented several stoves and kitchen utensils. Wrote ‘The Pantropheon; or History of Food’ (1853), ‘A Shilling Cookery Book for the People’ (1854), ‘Soyer’s Charitable Cookery’ (1847).
1906 Clyde W. Tombaugh was born. An American astronomer who discovered the planet Pluto in 1930. Born on a farm near Streator, Illinois, his first telescope was made from old farm equipment parts.
1930 Candy maker Frank C. Mars of Minnesota introduced the Snickers bar in 1930.
1941 Roy J. Plunkett received a U.S. patent for Teflon. He had discovered it by accident in 1938.
1946 Dan Quayle is born. Destined to make the ‘potatoe’ famous.
1952 Jerry Shirley of the rock group ‘Humble Pie’ was born.
1964 ‘Noodles’, guitarist of ‘The Offspring’ was born.
1983 Karen Carpenter died from anorexia nervosa.
1998 Bill Gates was hit with a cream pie (cake?) in Brussels. The person responsible for the event was Noel Godin whose hobby is throwing cream cakes/pies at celebrities. He has written a book about his adventures.