National Candy Day

Today’s Food History

on this day in…

  • 1873 Anthony Iske was issued a patent for a meat slicing machine. It worked much like a mandoline, with a frame to hold the meat while sliding it against the blade.
  • 1879 James and John Ritty invented the first cash register. They came up with the idea to prevent bartenders from stealing at the Pony House Restaurant in Dayton, Ohio.
  • 1879 African-American inventor, Thomas Elkins received a patent for a refrigerating machine, which could be used to cool food (or even human corpses according to the patent application).
  • 1923 Alfred Heineken was born. Grandson of Gerard Adriaan Heineken, the founder of Heineken Brewery. He was president of the company from 1964 to 1989.