AUGUST 15 Today in Food History• Air Conditioning Appreciation Days (Annually July 3 to Aug 15) • National Lemon Meringue Pie Day (Lemon Meringue Pie Recipes) • Sweden: Surströmmingspremiären, Sour Herring Premiere (Aug 15, 2024 - 3rd Thursday) By ordinance, the year's supply of sour herring may begin to be sold. (Herring Trivia & Facts) • UK: [Afternoon Tea Week] (Aug 12-18, 2024) A celebration of the great British tradition of Afternoon Tea On this day in:1794 Elias Fries was born (died Feb 8, 1878). Swedish botanist, considered one of the fathers of mycology, he developed the first system used to classify fungi. His 3-volume work, 'Systema mycologicum' (1821-32) is still an important source for nomenclature of fungi. (Fungus Trivia -- The Fungus Among Us) 1796 John Torrey was born. American botanist who did extensive studies of North American flora. He was the first professional botanist in the New World. 1835 C.H. Farnham was issued a patent for a hand cranked rotary washing machine. 1836 R. J. Lechmere Guppy died (born Aug 15, 1836). English geologist, and paleontologist whose name was given to the Guppy fish. 1848 M. Waldo Hanchett patented a dental chair. 1910 Constantin Fahlberg died (born Dec 22, 1850). Russian chemist, codiscoverer in 1879 (with Ira Remsen) of the artificial sweetener, Saccharin. (See also Feb 27, 1879 and Saccharin Trivia & Facts) 1911 Crisco is introduced by Procter & Gamble. Crisco is a hydrogenated shortening made from vegetable oil, which keeps its solid form even in warm weather. (Crisco Trivia & Facts) 1912 Julia Child was born. American cooking authority, cookbook author, TV Cooking show host, etc. During World War II, she also worked for the OSS from 1941-1945 (The OSS is the forerunner of the CIA). 1914 The Panama Canal was officially opened when a ship sailed from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Due to minor problems, clean-up operations and WW I, a grand celebration was delayed until July 12, 1920. 1918 Wilbur Hardee was born (died June 20, 2008). Founder of fast food chain Hardee's in 1960. (see also Sept 3, 1960 and May 5, 1961)
1928 Walter E. Diemer died. While working for the Fleer Chewing Gum Company, he experimented with recipes for chewing gum as a hobby. He invented bubble gum in 1928. (Chewing Gum Trivia and Facts) 1943 Sgt. Edward Dzuba received the Legion of Merit award because of his talent to use food scraps in unusual and appetizing recipes. 1969 The 3 day Woodstock Music and Arts Fair began on a dairy farm in Upstate New York. 2009 In Detroit, Michigan, GourmetGiftBaskets.com set a new record for the world's largest cupcake at 1,224 pounds.
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