APRIL 15 - Today in Food History• National Glazed Ham Day (Ham Recipes) (Ham Trivia --- Ham Quotes) • Fordicidia Festival - One of a series of Roman spring festivals, on behalf of the fertility of crops and the increase of cattle. On this day in:1452 Leonardi da Vinci was born (died May 2, 1519). Italian artist, etc, etc, etc. 1710 Marie-Anne de Cupis de Camargo was born. Born in Belgium, this ballerina danced with the Paris Opera. Escoffier named many gourmet dishes in her honor. 1819 Oliver Evans died (born Sept 13, 1755). An American inventor, he designed the first automatic flour mill. The grain moved automatically through a series of five machines to deliver flour packed in barrels at the end. (Flour Trivia & Facts) 1850 The city of San Francisco was incorporated. 1854 New York became the first state to fund a study of insects harmful to plants. (Insect as Food) 1874 George Harrison Shull was born. An American botanist, frequently called the 'father of hybrid corn.' (Corn Recipes --- Corn Quotes (Corn Trivia, Facts & Statistics) 1878 Ivory Soap was developed by Harley Proctor. Air was whipped into the soap during production, which made it float. First sold in 1879, it was a huge success. 1912 The British luxury liner Titanic sank at 2:20 a.m. The ship had struck an iceberg shortly before midnight on April 14. (Authentic Titanic Recipes) 1912 John Jacob Astor IV died. Great grandson of John Jacob Astor, who founded the family fortune. John Jacob IV built the Astoria section of what would become the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (1897) in New York city (this was on the site that were the Empire State building would be built in 1929). He also built the Knickerbocker and the St. Regis hotels. He died on the Titanic. (St. Regis Hotel History) 1951 Household hints columnist, Heloise, was born in Waco, Texas. 1955 The first franchised McDonald's was opened in Des Plaines, Illinois, by Ray Kroc, who bought the hamburger restaurant owned by the McDonald brothers. On opening day a 2 patty hamburger was 15 cents and French Fries were 10 cents. (McDonald’s Trivia & Facts) 1964 The 17.6 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel opened to traffic. "One of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World." 1992 Leona Helmsley of Helmsley Hotels began serving time in federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky, for tax evasion. She served 18 months in prison (see also Dec 12, 1989).
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