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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 04/02/2026

#OnThisDate, 3 Feb 1815, the first commercial #cheese factory was founded in Switzerland. They were able to make the cheese more consistent in quality while also aiding local farmers. #FoodHistory #History #SayCheese

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 02/02/2026

#OnThisDate, 2 Feb 1897, Alfred Cralle was awarded patent 576,395 for an "Ice Cream Mold and Disher." Originally from VA, he ended up in Pittsburgh working in a drug store and hotel. He noticed it was hard for people to scoop #icecream, and decided to solve the problem. #BlackHistory #FoodHistory

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 01/02/2026

#OnThisDate, 1 Feb 1960, four Black men sat at a Woolworth's dining counter in Greensboro, NC. They were refused service, but refused to leave. This began a series of nonviolent protests around the country. This act attracted nationwide media attention. #BlackHistoryMonth #FoodHistory #History

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 26/01/2026

#OntThisDate, 26 January 1838, the first major temperance law in the country was passed in Tennessee. It only prohibited the sale of "spiritous liquors" in taverns and stores. The punishment for breaking the law was at the discretion of the court. #History #FoodHistory #Temperance

First Prohibition law passed in TN on this date, 26 January, 1838. It prohibits the sale of spirits in taverns and stores.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 09/01/2026

#OnThisDate, 9 Jan 1980, Rupert Holmes' "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" regained the #1 spot in the country. Holmes has stated as late as 2019 that he has not tried a pina colada. After his music career, he became a playwright and an author. #FoodHistory #History

Cover to the single "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" by Rupert Holmes. It shows a man in white, handcuffed.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 07/01/2026

#OnThisDay, 7 Jan 1784, the D. Landreth Seed Company was founded. They have been providing seeds of all varieties, from vegetables to flowers to grass for the lawn. Their seeds were bought by many founding fathers, and they now deliver globally. #FoodHistory #History

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 06/01/2026

#OnThisDate, 6 Jan 1929, Sheffeld Farms in New York introduced milk in a carton. Up to this point, milk was delivered in glass bottles, which were heavy and had to be collected, washed, and delivered for each use. The cartons were disposable and more convenient. #History #FoodHistory

Vingate milk cartons from Summi Farm, MN.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 05/01/2026

#OnThisDate, 5 Jan 1943, American agricultural #scientist George Washington Carver passed away. While most know him for developing new uses for peanuts, he promoted ways to reduce soil depletion and environmentalism. He helped many poor Black #farmers make the most of the soil they had.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 08/09/2025

#OnThisDate, 7 Sep 2002, the world's largest peanut butter and jelly sandwich was made in Oklahoma. Weighing in at 900 lbs., it had 350 lbs. of pb and 144 lbs. of jelly. There is no record of the flavor of the jelly. The current world record was set in 2010. #Food #FoodHistory #PBJ

A world record peanut butter and jelly sandwich was made on this day, 7 Sep 2002, in Oklahoma.

This image is not that sandwich.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 06/09/2025

#OnThisDate, 6 Sep 1916, Piggly Wiggly first opened in Memphis, TN. Founded by Clarence Saunders, he was elusive about how he came up with the name. He told people that he saw pigs wiggling under a fence, and that is where the name came from. #Food #FoodHistory #FirstSelfService

Vintage photo of Piggly Wiggly, date and location of the photo unknown.

Piggly Wiggly was founded on 6 Sep, 1916 by Clarence Saunders.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 06/08/2025

#OnThisDate, 6 August 1889, The Savoy Hotel in London opened. It was innovative for its day by offering guests electric lights, electric elevators, hot and cold water, and bathrooms in the most lavish rooms, and more innovations. #FoodHistory #HistorySky

The Savoy Hotel in London, opened on 6 August 1889. It was, at the time, one of the most luxurious hotels in the world.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 30/07/2025

Accurate. There is more than enough food in this country to feed everyone. No one should be going hungry.

My annual reminder that food banks are not part of our social safety net, they are a sign that our social safety net is not working - Jenny Wright on X

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 28/07/2025

#OnThisDate, 28 July 1907, Earl Tupper was born. Using waste materials from oil processing, he was able to create Tupperware. He founded the Tupperware Plastics Company in 1938, and by the 1950s Tupperware home parties were all the rage. #FoodHistory #FoodSky

Earl S. Tupper pouring liquid out of a Tupperware vessel. Tupper was born on July 28, 1907.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 26/07/2025

Dinner of champions? Maybe just Medieval monks?

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 23/07/2025

#OnThisDate, 23 July 1894, British actor Arthur Treacher was born. Most of his roles involved playing servants, eventually appearing on talk and game shows. After retiring, he lent his name to different businesses, including the very popular Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips. #FoodHistory #FoodSky

Arthur Treacher Fish and Chips ad featuring an announcement that Arthur Treacher would be at several locations that day. This is for locations in Rochester, NY.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 22/07/2025

#OnThisDate, 22 July, 1926, chef and inventor Dorcas Bates Reilly was born. She worked in the Campbell's soup test #kitchen from 1946 to 1988, with a brief break to raise a family. Among many other foods, she is the inventor of the #Thanksgiving staple green bean casserole. #FoodHistory #FoodSky

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 16/07/2025

#OnThisDate, 16 July 1907, Orville Redenbacher was born. He and his partner, Charles F. Bowman, developed their "RedBow" strain of #popcorn after tens of thousands of experiments. Released in 1970, it was one of the most popular brands on the shelf within five years. #FoodHistory

Orville Redenbacher holding a bowl of popcorn in a promotional piece. He was born on this date, 16 July 1907.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 14/07/2025

#OnThisDate, 14 July 1906, Athanasios Karvelas, better known as Tom Carvel, was born. He is the founder of the Carvel brand of ice cream shops and helped popularize soft serve #icecream. There are still over 300 Carvel franchises worldwide, primarily located in the U.S. #FoodHistory #FoodSky

Tom Carvel, founder of the Carvel ice cream franchise and promoter of soft serve ice cream, working with one of his machines. His birthday is on this day, 14 July, 1906.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 13/07/2025

#OnThisDate, 13 July 1568, Dr Alexander Nowell, Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, is credited with the first instance of bottled #beer. He left a bottle of beer that he had taken on a fishing trip, and when he found it days later, the beer was still fresh and had undergone second fermentation. #History

Dr Alexander Nowell, considered the inventor of bottled beer, also the Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral. He left it out before a fishing trip in 1568, during which it underwent a second fermentation. When he found the beer after a few days, it was still fresh!

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 10/07/2025

#OnThisDate, 10 July 1985, the release of Coca-Cola Classic is announced. This came 79 days after the release of New Coke, a formula change in response to taste tests vs. Pepsi. The public hated it, and Coke brought the "real thing" back. New Coke was discontinued in 2002. #FoodSky #FoodHistory

Announcement on July 10, 1985, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that Coca-Cola Classic was going to be released. It came just 79 days after New Coke was rolled out to the public to widely negative reviews.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 09/07/2025

#OnThisDate, 9 July 1766, American inventor Jacob Perkins was born. He was the first person to develop a man-made refrigeration system. His cooling system used ammonia as a coolant. Perkins also worked on central heating systems and improved steam power. #FoodHistory #FoodSky

Portrait of Jacob Perkins, inventor of man-made refrigeration, born on 9 July 1766.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 17/06/2025

#OnThisDay, 17 June 1903, Ruth Graves Wakefield was born. The proprietor of the Tollhouse Inn, she wanted to create a new cookie to supplement their butterscotch cookies. She chose to add broken chocolate pieces to the new cookie, and chocolate chip cookies became a hit. #FoodSky #History

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 16/06/2025

#OnThisDay, 16 June 1868, Detroiter William Davis received a patent for improvements to the refrigerated train car. His design was based on a Detroit inventor's concept of a powered icebox. His invention enabled the shipping of fruits and meats all around the Great Lakes. #FoodHistory #HistorySky

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 15/06/2025

#OnThisDate, 15 June 1859, the U.S. and Great Britain almost threw hands over a...pig. The Pig War began when an American settler on San Juan shot a British-owned pig. The border there was debated to the point of military escalation. The bloodless conflict was resolved in 1871. #History #FoodSky

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 14/06/2025

#OnThisDate, 14 July 1892, Polish Jewish immigrant Nathan Handwerker was born. When he came to the U.S., he and his wife spent the last money they had on a hot dog stand in Coney Island in 1916. This stand launched Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs. #FoodHistory #FoodSky

#OnThisDate, 14 July 1892, Polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker was born. When he came to the U.S., he and his wife spent the last money they had on a hot dog stand in Coney Island in 1916. This stand launched Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs.

Image is of Nathan Handwerker and his wife, Ida, eating their hot dogs for the 50th anniversary of their business.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 11/06/2025

#OnThisDate, 11 June 1842, German engineer Carl Paul Gottfried von Linde was born. He developed the artificial refrigeration cycle, which is the foundation of modern refrigeration. The first place it was installed? The Spaten Brewery in 1873, to make more beer! #FoodSky #Beer #History

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 09/06/2025

#OnThisDate, 9 June 1953, John H. Kraft, a founder of Kraft Foods, received a patent that aided the creation of soft cheeses like Camembert and Brie. The patent enabled easier removal of the mold board, critical for making soft cheeses, but it often damaged them in the process. #FoodSky #History

John H. Kraft's patent for removing the cheese board from soft cheese, granted to him on June 9, 1953.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 02/06/2025

#OnThisDay, 2 June 2003, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ruled that batter-dipped frozen French fries were considered fresh vegetables. Why? Because, according to their rules, batter dipping something does not change its character. #FoodSky #History #FoodHistory

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 29/05/2025

#OnThisDate, 29 May 1886, the first Coca-Cola ad appeared in the @ajc.com (Atlanta Journal). Initial ads for Coke touted the fact that it was "delicious and refreshing" and a way to combat various ailments, from stomach pain to nerve disorders. #FoodHistory #FoodSky #TasteTheFeeling

Coca-Cola ad from an unidentified newspaper from 1890.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 28/05/2025

#OnThisDay, 28 May 1897, Jell-O was trademarked by Pearle Bixby Wait in Le Roy, New York. The original four flavors were raspberry, strawberry, lemon, and orange. Seven years later, cherry and chocolate were added. #FoodHistory #FoodSky #Dessert

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 26/05/2025

#OnThisDay, 26 May 1955, Iron Chef Morimoto Masaharu was born. The last Japanese-Born Iron Chef, he opened his first restaurant in Hiroshima in 1980. After selling it in 1985, he travelled to the U.S., working in many well-known #restaurants, including Nobu in NYC. #HappyBirthday #FoodHistory

Masaharu Morimoto, born on May 26, 1955, at his Philadelphia restaurant. He is in a chef coat holding chopsticks with a piece of octopus in his mouth.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 22/05/2025

We have a #NATO event, the Spring 2025 NATO Parliamentary Assembly, in #Dayton this week, and this is the sign a local bottle shop put in front of its shop for the event. It is very accurate. It is also why we will never host one of these again.

Sandwich board outside a bottle shop in Dayton, OH, The Barrel House, that reads: "NATO visitors: Don't leave the states without drinking Malort. The official flavor of America in 2025."

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 21/05/2025

#OnThisDay, 21 May 1921, was the date that the Taggart Baking Company told Indianapolis, IN that "Wonder was coming." Wonder Bread hit the shelves that day. It was one of the first commercial breads to be pre-sliced (1920s) and enriched with vitamins and minerals (1940s). #FoodHistory #FoodSky

Vintage Wonder Bread package, year unknown.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 20/05/2025

#OnThisDay, 19 May 1861, famous Victorian Era operatic soprano Helen Porter Mitchel was born in Australia. She took the stage name Nelle Melba, after her hometown of Melbourne, Australia. Her name is carried on in Melba toast, Peach Melba, Melba sauce, and Melba Garniture. #FoodSky #FoodHistory

Photographic portrait of Australian opera singer Nellie Melba, circa 1907

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 18/05/2025

#OnThisDate, 18 May 1808, Baptist preacher Reverend Elijah Craig passed away. He is credited with resting his whiskey in charred oak barrels in 1789, creating the foundation of modern #bourbon. His first distillery was in what is now Woodford County, Kentucky. #FoodSky #HistorySky

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 17/05/2025

#OnThisDate, 17 May 1733, the British Parliament passed the Molasses Act on the American colonies. This was to protect molasses imports from the British West Indies to the colonies, who used the sticky substance to produce #rum. Its impact? Increased smuggling and tax evasion. #FoodSky #History

The cover of the Molasses Act of 1733, which attempted to force the American colonies to do business with only the British West Indies. It did little to curb the flow of global molasses into the colonies, who used it for rum.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 16/05/2025

#OnThisDate, 15 May 1862, the U.S. Bureau of Agriculture was established. It has since evolved into the Department of Agriculture, whose goal is to ensure that rural Americans are offered economic opportunities while providing the world safe and nutritious food. #FoodSky #History

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 15/05/2025

I love this joke format so much.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 14/05/2025

#OnThisDate, 14 May 1919, Henry J. Heinz passed away. He is one of the founders of the H. J. Heinz Company (now the Kraft Heinz Foods Company), his second attempt at starting a food business. He is also known for pushing to pass the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. #FoodSky #History

Henry John Heinz by the Pach Brothers Studio, c. 1914, gelatin silver print, from the National Portrait Gallery

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 13/05/2025

Why is today #NationalCocktailDay? Well, #OnThisDay, 13 May 1806, The Balance and Columbian Repository in Hudson, NY provided the first definition of a #cocktail. It was defined as a "stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters." #FoodSky #HistorySky

The Balance and Columbian Repository's first definition of the word cocktail, printed on May 13, 1806.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 11/05/2025

#OnThisDate, 11 May 1886, Willis Marshall of Chicago, IL, received a patent for a grain binder that worked on a grain harvester. This allowed farmers to bind wheat as is was harvested, saving time and making it easier to dry and store. Image via The Museum of Food and Drink. #FoodSky #History

A quilt square of the Willis Marshall's patent for the grain binder. Image via the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD). The quilt square is still available to adopt!

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 11/05/2025

#OnThisDate, 10 May 1876, the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine, also known as the Centennial International Exhibition, opened in Philadelphia, PA. It was here that Charles Hires introduced his temperance drink "root beer." #FoodSky #History

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 09/05/2025

#OnThisDate, 8 May 1842, Danish mycologist Emil Christian Hansen was born. Hired by Carlsberg Laboratory in 1879, by 1883, he isolated the strains of yeast that fermented the beer from other, less valuable strains. The yeasts he discovered are the foundation for lager #beer. #FoodHistory #BeerSky

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 05/05/2025

#OnThisDate, 5 May 1862, Mexican forces, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza, defeated the French at the Battle of Puebla. One year later, the French would take Puebla, but it was an inspiring victory for the small Mexican army. And that is why we celebrate #CincodeMayo. #FoodHistory #HistorySky

Portrait of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, winning general at the Battle of Puebla, May 5, 1862.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 04/05/2025

#OnThisDate, 4 May 1964, Senate Concurrent Resolution 19 was signed, designating #bourbon as an official product of the United States. It was not a law, but it protected bourbon from foreign competition. #FoodHistory #LiquorHistory #BarSky #FoodSky

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 02/05/2025

#Cocktail classes are a tough job, but someone has to do them.

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 02/05/2025

#OnThisDate, 2 May 1885, @goodhousekeeping.bsky.social was first published. It has been a go-to magazine for anyone who wants ideas on how to improve their home. They established the Good Housekeeping Institute in 1900, where they test and experiment with the products they recommend. #FoodHistory

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 01/05/2025

#OnThisDate, 1 May 1851, the Great Exhibition of 1851 began. Over the six months, they consumed: "60,698 cottage loaves; 68,428 pound cakes; 934,691 bath buns; 1,046 gallons of pickles; 33 tons of hams; 33,432 quarts of milk; and 1,092,337 bottles of Schweppes soda water, lemonade, and ginger beer."

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 30/04/2025

#OnThisDate, 30 April 1792, British statesman John Montague, 4th Earl of Sandwich, passed away. He is best known for his invention of the sandwich, typically roast beef between two slices of bread. He is less known for lending his name to the Sandwich Islands, now known as Hawai'i. #FoodHistory

Portrait of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, painted by Thomas Gainsborough

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Brian Petro @smartguyinatie.com · 27/04/2025

#OnThisDate, 27 April, 1968, the first Kentucky Fried Chicken opened in #Australia. It was opened in Guilford, a suburb of Sydney. It was founded by Canadian Bob Lapointe and started with a staff of twenty-five people. #FoodHistory #HistorySky

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