FOOD HISTORY TIMELINE
1991 to 19951991 Arby's opens its 2,500 restaurant, in Mexico city.
1991 General Mills opens its 500th Red Lobster seafood restaurant, in Portland, Oregon. 1991 Salsa sales overtakes ketchup sales for the first time ($ sales). 1991 Average U.S. food prices: white bread 70.5 cents; grade A large eggs $1.10 dz; milk $2.76 per gallon; chicken 89 cents lb; ground beef $1.65 lb. 1991 The Hudson's Bay Company (founded in 1670 as a fur trading company) announces it is selling its fur business due to declining sales. 1991 U.S. first class postage rates are raised to 29 cents and post cards to 19 cents. 1991 The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 3,000 for the first time (3,004.46). 1991 In Calgary, Alberta the worst hailstorm in Canadian history causes over $400 million dollars in damage. 1991 The first Sumo wrestling tournament ever held off Japanese soil in the sport's 1500 year history begins at London's Royal Albert Hall. 1991 The Yale Hotel in Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada is destroyed by fire. 1991 A dust storm causes a massive pileup of more than 100 vehicles in Coalinga, California. 17 people lost their lives and 150 more suffered serious injuries 1991 U.S. Patent #5,000,000 was issued to Lonnie O. Ingram, Tyrrell Conway and Flavio Alterthum of the University of Florida. The patent was for a genetically engineered form of the E. coli bacterium that converts plant material into ethanol. 1991 Last remaining Horn & Hardart Automats closed its doors. It was located at Third Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City. Frank Hardart and Joe Horn opened the first Automat on June 9, 1902 at 818 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. The birth date of modern fast food. 1991 First McDonald's in Beijing, China opened. It was the world's largest McDonald's, with 28,000 square feet, seating for 700 and 1,000 employees. It closed in 1996 to make way for a shopping center. 1991 Charles Elton died. Elton was an English biologist who first developed the idea of a 'food chain.' 1991 World's largest burrito created, 1,126 pounds 1991 The famous Paris cooking school, L'Ecole de Cordon Bleu, opens a branch in Tokyo, Japan. 1991 The world's largest Burger King opened in Budapest. 1991 Jack Ryan died. Before helping to develop the Barbie Doll for Mattell, Ryan worked for the Pentagon designing missiles! 1991 'Cream' by Prince & The NPG hit #1 on the charts
1991 Japan agrees to stop using drift nets. 1991 The 'International Project to Save the Brazilian Rainforests' was launched. 1991 The University of Minnesota Fruit Breeding Program introduced the Honeycrisp apple. 1991 Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) died September 24. Writer and cartoonist. A few of his childrens books were 'Green Eggs and Ham,' 'One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish,' 'Scrambled Eggs Super!' and 'The Butter Battle Book' 1992 The Maastricht Treaty ("Treaty on European Union") was signed in Maastricht, Netherlands, creating the European Union. 1992 Nestea, Lipton and Arizona brand Ready-to-drink bottled iced teas are introduced to compete with Snapple. 1992 Bob Wian died (born June 15, 1914). Founder of the Big Boy restaurant chain in 1936 in Glendale, California. In 1967 he sold the chain to Marriott Corp. for $7 million. 1992 Samuel Moore 'Sam' Walton died (born 1918). Founder of Wal-Mart stores. 1992 Leona Hellmsley of Helmsley Hotels began serving time in federal prison in Lexington, Kentucky, for tax evasion. She served 18 months in prison. 1992 A series of sewer explosions in Guadalajara, Mexico killed more than 250 people, injured hundreds of others and left 15,000 people homeless. Flawed design of the sewer pipe system allowed gasoline from an adjacent pipeline to leak into the sewer pipes. 1992 The musical 'Jelly's Last Jam' opened on Broadway. It was based on the life of jazz musician Jelly Roll Morton. 1992 The USDA unveiled its new Food Pyramid diet guideline chart. 1992 Carlos 'Danny' Herrera died. He was 90 years old. Herrera is the most likely inventor of the Margarita tequila cocktail in 1938. 1992 Elizabeth David died (born 1913). "Britain's first lady of food." Food writer who strongly influenced home cookery in Britain after the austerity of WW II, writing about European cuisines and traditional British cookery. 1992 The U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development was created. 1992 'Chinese Coffee' opened at the Circle on the Square theatre in New York City. 1992 John Crosbie, Canada's Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, ordered the closing of the Atlantic northwest cod fishery for two years to conserve stocks. Some 40,000 Atlantic Canadians lose their jobs. 1992 Britain's Queen Elizabeth II volunteers to start paying taxes on her personal income and take her children off the public payroll. 1992 The Christmas speech of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II was published in the Sun newspaper 2 days of schedule, sparking a full scale investigation. 1992 Canada bans the capture of beluga whales for export. 1992 Electric bread machines are introduced.
1992 Totino's controls 20% of the frozen pizza market. 1992 Emeril Lagasse opened Nola in New Orleans. 1992 President George H.W. Bush becomes ill on a trip to Japan and vomits on Japanese Prime Minister Miyazawa Kiichi. 1992 Christian K. Nelson inventor of the Eskimo Pie died at age 98. 1992 The largest Barracuda caught with rod and reel was a great barracuda that weighed 85 pounds. It was caught off Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. 1992 SPAM Lite was introduced.
1992 The record brown trout weighed over 40 pounds and was caught in Arkansas. 1992 Lawrence Welk, champagne music-maker, died. 1992 SPELLING LESSONS - At a spelling bee in a Trenton, New Jersey school, U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle, corrects a student's spelling of 'potato' by telling him it should have an 'e' at the end. 1992 M.F.K. Fisher (Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher) died. Fisher was an American food critic and writer, author of various articles, essays and books about food, and translated Brillat-Savarin's 'The Physiology of Taste' in 1949. 1992 The Mall of America opened in Bloomington, Minnesota. It was the largest shopping mall in the U.S. 1992 Actor Sterling Holloway died. He was also the voice of Winnie The Pooh, the honey loving bear in Disney's animated version. 1992 The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed by the leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States. 1993 Sears announced the closing of the catalog sales department after 97 years. 1993 Parliament approves Canada's participation in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA will become effective on January 1, 1994. 1993 The Canadian House of Commons approved the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). 1993 Canada orders a complete ban on cod fishing after stocks dwindle. 1993 Elton John was awarded $518,700 from the Sunday Mirror for false allegations that he was hooked on a bizarre diet in which he spat out food without swallowing it. 1993 Cesar Chavez died. American farm worker and labor leader, co-founder with Dolores Huerta of the National Farm Workers Association (now the United Farm Workers union). 1993 Jose Duval died. Actor and singer, he played the coffee planter, Juan Valdez, in commercials for Columbian coffee. 1993 Audrey Hepburn died. Actress and humanitarian. One of her many films was 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' (1961). In her latter years she served as Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). 1993 SnackWell's reduced-fat cookies are introduced. 1993 Hot Chocolate's Greatest Hits album reaches number 1 on the U.K. charts.
1993 The Food Network premiers on television. 1993 The world's largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich to date, was created in Peanut, Pennsylvania. It was almost 40 feet long and used 150 pounds of peanut butter and 50 pounds of jelly. (See Sept 7, 2002 for new record) 1993 Christian Kent Nelson died. He was the inventor of the Eskimo Pie in 1919 in Iowa. 1993 Cesar Chavez died. He was the founder of the United Farm Workers Union. 1993 The Red Hot Chili Peppers play on the Simpson’s TV show. 1993 The last episode of 'Cheers' aired on TV.
1993 Brooklyn NY begins recycling. 1993 Craisins Sweetened Dried Cranberries were introduced by Ocean Spray. 1993 So-called 'killer bees,' Africanized honey bees, have reached Tucson, Arizona; a small dog was killed from a bee attack. Their original source was Brazil, where African bees were imported for experimental cross breeding. 1993 English author William Golding died. His first novel was 'Lord of the Flies' (1954). 1993 John Wayne Bobbitt does not appreciate his wife Lorena's expertise with a kitchen knife. 1993 Vincent Schaefer died. A U.S. research chemist, he invented 'cloud seeding' with dry ice to cause rain or snow.
1993 Meat Loaf's album 'Bat Out of Hell II - Back Into Hell' was #1 on the charts. 1993 The Maastricht Treaty became effective, creating the new European Union. 1993 On the TV show 'Seinfield,' Kramer came up with the idea to write a coffee table book about coffee tables 1993 A method for making paper from chicken feathers was developed. 1993 Julio Gallo died (born March 21, 1910). Co-founded E & J Gallo Winery with his brother Ernest in 1933. It is the largest winery in the U.S. with about 25% of the U.S. wine market. 1994 Quaker Oats acquires Snapple Beverage Co. 1994 Elizabeth Mary ('Betty') Furness died (born 1916). Actress and spokesperson for Westinghouse Electric consumer appliances. Special Assistant for Consumer Affairs (1967-1969) under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Board member of Consumers Union, publisher of 'Consumer Reports', Executive Director of NY State Consumer Protection Board, consumer reporter for WNBC in New York. 1994 Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterrand formally opened the Channel Tunnel between France and Britain. The first land link between Britain and Europe. 1994 An almost complete fossil of a Pygmy Mammoth skeleton was discovered on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of California. Its age was estimated at 12,840 years old and stood 5 1/2 feet tall, weighing about 2,000 pounds. 1994 Shops throughout England and Wales can now open legally for the first time following a change in the Sunday trading laws. 1994 The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea took effect today. "Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the Convention relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks" 1994 The play 'Lamb Chop On Broadway' opened in New York. 1994 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared the first genetically engineered tomato, the 'Flavr Savr' was safe for human consumption. It was not a commercial success and production ended in 1997. 1994 The movie 'The Advocate' ('The Hour of the Pig') is released in the U.S. Set in 15th century France, a lawyer is appointed to defend a pig accused of murder. 1994 The French Laundry restaurant opens in an old French laundry in Yountville, California. 1994 The North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. 1994 The controversial genetically engineered growth hormone for cows, rBGH goes on sale. 1994 Whirlpool began manufacturing a refrigerator that was significantly more efficient, and did not use freon. Freon has been implicated in the destruction of ozone in the atmosphere. 1994 John Candy died. Canadian comedian and actor, member of 'The Second City' comedy troupe. 1994 Due to bad harvests, there is a shortage of Japanese grown rice. Japan's Imperial Palace begins serving royal meals to the Emperor & Empress with rice grown in the U.S., China and Thailand. 1994 Andre Tchelistcheff died. Tchelistcheff was a Russian-born U.S. enologist, was a pivotal figure in the revitalization of the California wine industry following Prohibition (1919-33) and used his Paris training in viticulture and wine making to pioneer such techniques as cold fermentation and the use of American oak barrels for aging. He was also an authority on the types of soil suitable for growing various grape varieties. 1994 The world's largest lollipop, 3,011 pounds, is made in Denmark.
1994 Actor Telly Savalas died Jan 22. In the TV series 'Kojak' he played tough NY City detective Lt. Kojak who had a fondness for Tootsie Roll Pops (lollipops). 1994 Roy J. Plunkett died. He was the inventor of Teflon (Polytetrafluoroethylene) in 1938. The first nonstick cookware using Teflon was sold in 1960. 1994 The FDA announces that the new 'Flavr Savr' tomato, a biotech developed food, is safe. 1994 Baron Marcel Bich died. French inventor of the Bic Pen in 1949.
1994 Ray Geiger died (born Sept 18, 1910). Editor of the Farmers' Almanac from 1934-1993, and editor of American Farm & Home Almanac from 1964-1990. 1994 Henry Mancini died. Oscar winning music composer, he wrote many songs and film scores, including the score for 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' 1994 The London Times reported a previously unknown species of mammal was discovered in Vietnam, the Vu Quang Ox. It was the first discovery of a new large mammal since the Okapi in 1910. The ox is thought to inhabit an area along the Vietnam-Laos border. 1994 Crayola introduced scented crayons.
1994 A smoking ban in restaurants and bars in Maryland began today. 1994 Rosenella Cruciani 'Rose' Totino died. The queen of frozen pizza. Co-founder with her husband Jim Totino, of Totino's Pizzeria and Totino's Finer Foods. 1994 Joyce chen died. Chinese American Chef, restaurateur, author. She is credited with popularizing northern-style Chinese cuisine in the U.S. Cookbook: 'The Joyce Chen Cook Book' (1962). PBS TV show: 'Joyce Chen Cooks' (1967). 1994 Orange County, California filed for bankruptcy due to investment losses. 1995 U.S. first class postage rates were raised to 32 cents and post cards to 20 cents. 1995 The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 4,000 for the first time, closing at 4,003.33. 1995 The musical 'Smokey Joe's Cafe' opened in New York City. 1995 Turbot War. Canadian patrol boats fires shots across the bow and seize a Spanish trawler for taking undersized Turbot, violating 1982 Law of the Sea Convention. The dispute began to escalate as both countries sent additional naval vessels to the area, but an agreement was finally reached on April 5, 1995 ending the dispute. 1995 Isadore 'Friz' Freleng died (born Aug 21, 1906). Cartoon animator, he created or developed cartoon characters Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat, and Tweety Bird. 1995 The National Inventors Hall of Fame opened in Akron, Ohio. 1995 Americans Mario Molina and Sherwood Rowland, and Dutch scientist Paul Crutzen won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their work warning that CFCs (Chlorofluorocarbons) used in aerosol sprays etc., are eating away Earth's ozone layer. 1995 The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 5,000 for the first time, closing at 5,023.55. 1995 European Union leaders agreed to call the new, single European currency the "Euro" and confirmed it would be introduced on Jan 1, 1999. 1995 Oveta Culp Hobby died. First secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (1953-1955). 1995 Betty Crocker gets her own website.
1995 Blue M&Ms are introduced. 1995 Norman Van Aken opened Norman's Restaurant in Coral Gables, Florida.
1995 Peter Cook, British actor and comedian died. 1995 Pizza Hut introduced its Stuffed Crust Pizza.
1995 Di Giorno, introduced the first frozen, self-rising crust pizza. 1995 A smoking ban in New York for restaurants with more than 35 seats began.
1995 The Supreme Court ruled that alcohol content could be listed on beer labels, overturning a 1935 law which had prohibited it. 1995 On 'Seinfeld' Kramer began sculpting with pasta. 1995 Elisha Cook Jr. died. A well known character actor in films and TV. I remember him most as Wilmer, in the 'Maltese Falcon'. 1995 The summer was so hot in Missouri, that at the end of August, methane gas emitted within large bales of freshly-cut hay began to spontaneously combust. 1995 Orville Redenbacher died on Sept 19. Founder of gourmet popcorn company. 1995 Tan M&Ms are replaced by the new blue M&Ms. The tan ones originally replaced violet M&Ms in 1949. 1995 Edward H. Lowe died. He invented Kitty Litter. 1995 The Soup Nazi first appears on Seinfeld TV show.
1995 The Smashing Pumpkins' album 'Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness' was number 1 on the charts. 1995 Maria Telkes died. A Hungarian born American biophysicist & chemist, she was a pioneer in using solar energy in heating applications. Among other things, she developed a solar heated sea water distillation system and a solar powered stove.
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