APRIL 16 - Today in Food History
- National Eggs Benedict Day
- Feast of St. Drogo, patron of coffee house owners and keepers.
- St. Magnus of Orkney, patron of fishmongers.
- St. Bernadette's Day, patron of shepherds.
1521 Martin Luther arrived at the Diet of Worms. This was NOT the first fad diet.
1906 William James Farrer died. An Australian agriculturist, he developed new varieties of wheat.
1924 Henry Mancini was born. Oscar winning music composer, he wrote many songs and film scores, including the score for 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'
1928 Ellsworth Milson Statler died. American hotel owner, founder of Statler Hotels. His Statler Hotel in Buffalo, New York was the first hotel in the U.S. to have running water and private baths in each room.
1938 The French occupy Veracruz, Mexico during 'The Great Pastry War' (see Nov 30, 1938)
1941 The original Elsie the Cow died. Elsie the cow was originally a cartoon character appearing in ads for Borden Milk. At the 1939 New York World's Fair, when people began asking where Elsie was, Borden's picked a cow originally named 'You'll do Lobelia' from their herd to be Elsie. Elsie stared in commercials, made personal appearances, and even starred in an RKO movie, 'Little Men.' Elsie was injured in a truck accident in 1941 and had to be put to sleep. She is buried in Plainsboro, New Jersey.
1956 On the 'I Love Lucy' show, Lucy stomped grapes in Rome, and wrestled with another female grape stomper. An inspiration for future 'food wrestling' entrepreneurs. Actually, this is one of the funniest sitcom episodes ever made.
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