Saturday, July 4, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.” Franklin Roosevelt
FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS: The Fourth of July. U.S. Independence Day National Barbecue Day - by tradition (also May 16)
(Barbecue Trivia --- Barbecue Quotes) National Barbecued Spareribs Day
(Barbecue Spareribs Recipes) National Baked Beans Day
(Baked Beans Recipes --- Bean Trivia) National Caesar Salad Day
(Caesar Salad Origin and Recipes) [Jackfruit Day] (The national fruit of Bangladesh & Sri Lanka and state fruit of Kerala and tamil Nadu in India) (Jackfruit Trivia & Photos) Canada's National Fishing Week (June 27-July 5, 2026) [Canadian National Sportfishing Foundation]
TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1810 'The Agricultural Museum' magazine began publication. 1817 Construction began on the Erie Canal which would connect the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, providing a water route to New York City and the Atlantic Ocean. (Officially opened Oct 26, 1825). 1828 The cornerstone was laid for the Tremont House in Boston, Massachusetts. It would be the first U.S. hotel to install bathrooms. It opened on October 16, 1829. 1845 Henry David Thoreau begins his 2 year experiment with simple living at Waldon Pond.
(see also Sept 6, 1847). 1848 Francois Auguste Renι Vicomte de Chateaubriand died. Chateaubriand was a French writer and politician. His chef, Montmireil, created a famous recipe consisting of a center cut from the beef tenderloin, grilled and served with bιarnaise sauce and chateau potatoes. Montmireil named the dish Chateaubriand. (Chateaubriand Origins) 1855 The first edition of 'Leaves of Grass' was self-published by Walt Whitman in Brooklyn, New York. It contained 12 poems. 1893 A team from Zorra Township, Ontario wins World Championship Tug Of War at the Chicago World Fair. 1906 Vincent Schaefer was born. A U.S. research chemist, he invented 'cloud seeding' with dry ice to cause rain or snow. 1916 Nathan's of Coney Island hosted the first Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. James Mullen ate 13 hot dogs in buns in 12 minutes. 1918 Pauline Esther and Esther Pauline were born. Pauline Esther’s pen name was Abigal Van Buren and she wrote the "Dear Abby" newspaper advice column. Her twin sister Esther Pauline wrote the "Ann Landers" column advice column. 1920 Leona Helmsley was born (died Aug 20, 2007). American hotelier famous for her tyrannical behavior, and known as The Queen of Mean.
(See also Dec 12 1989) 1943 Alan Wilson of the music group 'Canned Heat' was born. 1947 Margaret Rudkin opened the first modern Pepperidge Farm bakery in Norwalk, Connecticut. 1954 All food rationing finally ended in Britain, almost nine years after the end of World War II. 1956 At a Fourth of July family picnic, Milton Levine came up with the idea for the Ant Farm. (Ant Trivia) 1969 Elena Arzak was born. Joint head chef with her father, Juan Mari Arzak, at the family's 3 Michelin star restaurant Arzak in San Sebastian, Spain. Named World's Best Female Chef in 2012.
[Arzak restaurant website: www.arzak.es/en/] 2006 Georges Duboeuf, a Beaujolais wine producer, was fined €30,000 for fraud when about 300,000 bottles of wine produced by his estate were found to have been illegally blended from different types of grape rather than a single source.
(Beaujolais Wine Article) 2018 Joey Chestnut set a new record in Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog-Eating Contest. He consumed 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes. 2019 Baked Alaska: Anchorage, Alaska recorded an all time high temperature of 90 degrees F., breaking the previous record of 85 degrees set in 1969. 2020 Coronavirus: In most states this 4th of July there will be no barbecues, no relaxing at the beach, no baseball, no concerts in the park, no parades, no fireworks, and no alcohol.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** June 19-July 12, 2026 Alameda County Fair
Alameda County Fairgrounds, California July 1-5, 2026 - Key Lime Festival - Key West, Florida July 2-5, 2026 - 79th Annual Fishin' Fiesta
Freeport, Texas July 3-4, 2026 - Taste of Minnesota - Minneapolis, MN July 4, 2026 - Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog-Eating Contest - Coney Island, New York July 4-11, 2026 170th Gibson County Fair
Princeton, Indiana July 4-11, 2026 - 100th National Cherry Festival
Traverse City, Michigan (SEE ALL FOOD FESTIVALS and OTHER FOOD EVENTS)
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** FOOD TRIVIA QUIZ (new DAILY questions)1) All of the following events took place in the same year. What year is it?
· Cracker Jack began to put prizes in each box.
· The National Biscuit Co. introduced 'Mallomars', chocolate covered marshmallow cookies.
· Puffed Rice and Puffed Wheat cereals are introduced by Quaker Oats Co.
· Peppermint Life Savors are introduced.
· The first drive-up automobile service station opened, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 2) When was milk first sold in factory made glass bottles? 3) In lunch counter slang, what would you get if your order was "bark and belly busters and a city juice"? 4) Popular in the 1970s, this drink had a movie, numerous restaurants, a hit song, a quilt pattern and several flowers named after it. No one knows for sure who invented it, but it was listed in bar guides of the 1960s. It was also featured the 1976 novel by Cyra McFaden 'The Serial.' Name this drink.
Click Here for Today’s Quiz Answers
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Read an article about Chef James and the FoodReference.com website published in the Winona Daily News, Minneapolis StarTribune, and numerous other newspapers: Click here for the Article
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Dedication
This website is dedicated to:
· Gladys Ehler, my mother, who taught me patience and how to make Sauerbraten (it is still my favorite)
· Edward Ehler, my father, who taught me a love of books and history.
· Barbara Saba, my sister, who taught me how to dance.
· Cpl. Thomas E. Saba, my nephew. Died in action on Feb. 7, 2007 in Iraq. He was 30 yrs. young. Chef James
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