International Picnic Day

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1865 Edmund Ruffin died. He was a pioneer in the study of soil chemistry in the U.S.

1892 Macadamia nuts were first planted in Hawaii.

1897 Juliet Corson died. Librarian, cookery teacher and writer, founder of the New York Cooking School in 1876. Her books include ‘Cooking Manual’ (1877), ‘Twenty-five Cent Dinners for Families of Six’ (1878), and ‘Miss Corson’s Practical American Cookery’ (1886).

1898 Atlantic City, NJ opened its Steel Pier (boardwalk). The world-famous Steel Pier had 9 miles of food, beverages, concessions, amusements, concerts, etc. Ed McMahon, of the Johnny Carson Show and Publisher’s Clearing House fame, was a barker on the pier in his youth.

1913 Robert Mondavi was born. A leading Napa Valley vintner.

1964 The African Groundnut Council was founded in Dakar.

1993 So-called ‘killer bees,’ Africanized honey bees, have reached Tucson, Arizona; a small dog was killed from a bee attack. Their original source was Brazil, where African bees were imported for experimental cross breeding.