Today in Food History > FEBRUARY > February 4
FEBRUARY 4 - Today in Food History
• Stuffed Mushroom Day
(Stuffed Mushroom Recipes --- Mushroom Quotes)
• Homemade Soup Day (Soup Recipes --- Soup Trivia)
(Soup Quotes)
• Bubble Gum Day (Feb 4, 2022 - 1st Fri) (Gum Trivia)
• Japan: Setsubun (Bean Throwing Festival) Feb 3 or 4.
Setsubun celebrates the transition from winter to spring.
• [African Heritage & Health Week] February 1-7
(commemorates the foods, flavors and healthy cooking techniques that were core to the wellbeing of African ancestors from Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the American South.)
1790 John Bachman was born. A Naturalist who wrote some of the text for John James Audubon's albums of birds and mammals of North America. He also published his own works on botany, agriculture and southern animals.
1810 Alexis Benoit Soyer was born. French chef and author. Chef of the London Reform Club. He opened kitchens in Ireland during the famine to sell food at 1/2 price and was an advisor on food to the British army during the Crimean War. Invented several stoves and kitchen utensils. Wrote 'The Pantropheon; or History of Food' (1853), 'A Shilling Cookery Book for the People' (1854), 'Soyer's Charitable Cookery' (1847).
1854 Cadbury received a Royal Warrant as "manufacturers of cocoa and chocolate to Queen Victoria"
1879 John H. Heinz received a patent for an 'Improvement in Vegetable-Assorters.' ("machines for assorting vegetables, fruits, pickles etc. according to their size"). (Heinz Trivia and Facts)
1887 Interstate Commerce Act created the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate Railroads, the first industry to be subject to Federal regulation.
(Railroads & Railroad Food Trivia)
1894 Quebec, Canada holds its first Winter Carnival.
(Food Festivals in Canada)
1906 Clyde W. Tombaugh was born. An American astronomer who discovered the planet Pluto in 1930. Born on a farm near Streator, Illinois, his first telescope was made from old farm equipment parts.
1925 Robert Koldewey died (born Sept 10, 1855). A German archaeologist who discovered and confirmed the existence and location of the ancient Hanging Gardens of Babylon (excavations 1899-1917).
1930 Candy maker Frank C. Mars of Minnesota introduced the Snickers bar in 1930.
1941 Roy J. Plunkett received U.S. patent No. 2,230,654 for Teflon ("a new composition of matter which is highly resistant to corrosive influences and to oxidation, and which can be molded and spun and put to a wide variety of uses where its peculiar properties would be advantageous."). He had discovered it by accident in 1938.
1946 Dan Quayle is born. Destined to make 'potatoe' famous.
1952 Jerry Shirley of the rock group 'Humble Pie' was born.
1964 'Noodles', guitarist of 'The Offspring' was born.
1983 Karen Carpenter died from anorexia nervosa.
1998 Bill Gates was hit with a cream pie (cake?) in Brussels. The person responsible for the event was Noel Godin whose hobby is throwing cream cakes/pies at celebrities. He has written a book about his adventures.
2013 France overturned a 200 year-old law that banned women from wearing trousers.
2013 Canada withdraws the penny from circulation.