Events of August 15

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

1794 Elias Fries was born. A Swedish botanist who developed the first system for classifying fungi.

1796 John Torrey was born. American botanist who did extensive studies of North American flora. He was the first professional botanist in the New World.

1835 C.H. Farnham was issued a patent for a hand cranked rotary washing machine.

1848 M. Waldo Hanchett patented a dental chair.

1911 Crisco is introduced by Procter & Gamble. Crisco is a hydrogenated shortening made from vegetable oil, which keeps its solid form even in warm weather.

1912 Julia Child was born. American cooking authority, cookbook author, TV Cooking show host, etc. During World War II, she also worked for the OSS from 1941-1945 (The OSS is the forerunner of the CIA).

1914 The Panama Canal was officially opened when a ship sailed from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.

1928 Walter E. Diemer died. While working for the Fleer Chewing Gum Company, he experimented with recipes for chewing gum as a hobby. He invented bubble gum in 1928.

1943 Sgt. Edward Dzuba received the Legion of Merit award because of his talent to use food scraps in unusual and appetizing recipes.

1969 The 3 day Woodstock Music and Arts Fair began on a dairy farm in Upstate New York.

2009 In Detroit, Michigan, GourmetGiftBaskets.com set a new record for the world’s largest cupcake at 1,224 pounds.