Today’s Food History

National “Get on the Scales” Day

1800 Charles Goodyear was born.  He invented the process named ‘vulcanization’ which made the commercial use of rubber possible. Vulcanized rubber didn’t become brittle in winter and turn gummy in summer as natural rubber did.

1837 A threshing machine powered by a horse on a treadmill was patented in Winthrop, Maine, by Hiram A. and John A. Pitts.

1921 Robert C. Baker was born. While a Poultry and Food Science professor at Cornell University from 1949-1989 he developed chicken nuggets (keeping the breading on was the key), turkey ham, poultry hot dogs and many other products. He founded Cornell’s Institute of Food Science and Marketing in 1970, and in 2004 was inducted into the American Poultry Hall of Fame.

1947 Ted Danson, American actor, was born. Best known for his role as bartender Sam Malone on the TV series ‘Cheers’.

1997 Fear of the ‘bird flu’ led Hong Kong to order its entire population of chickens, over 1 million birds, to be killed.

2005 Antoine’s Restaurant in New Orleans reopened exactly 4 months after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.

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