Class Date: December 4th

Location: Your couch! See your weekly e-mail for Zoom link!

This time we’re talking about the history of school lunches! Free school lunches have been a somewhat hot topic since 2020, so we’ll explore the history of lunch programs in school. I’m already dreaming of rectangular pizza! I can’t wait to hear what you all remember about your school lunches! Before that, let’s look at some food-based background:

• 1774 - 1779 - first ice cream shops in North America

The first official mention of ice cream in America comes from a letter written in 1744 by a guest of Maryland’s governor Bladen. During the summer of 1790, records show that President Washington spent nearly $200 on ice cream! Dolley Madison served strawberry ice cream at Madison’s second inauguration banquet in 1813. To read more about the sweet history of ice cream in America, click here: https://www.idfa.org/the-history-of-ice-cream

• 1801 - The modern blackboard was invented

A teacher in Scotland named James Pillans invented the modern schoolroom blackboard by hanging a large slab of slate on the wall of his classroom. Prior to this, students had used small pieces of slate or painted wood to write their lessons on. A large blackboard allowed the teacher to present the lesson to the entire class at once. The blackboard would be classroom staple until the 1960s when it was replaced with a green board, named the “chalkboard”. 

• 1817 - The first potato chip

An English doctor, William Kitchiner, published The Cook’s Oracle, a cookbook that included a recipe for “potatoes fried in slices or shavings.” To read more about the evolution of one of our favorite salty snacks, click here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/curious-history-potato-chip-180979232/

• 1828 - Noah Webster published the “American Dictionary of the English Language”

Webster set out to help standardize and document language for this new American nation. Though citizens spoke English, the spelling and usage differed from Great Britain. To read more about his rationale for an American Dictionary and how it came to be, click here: https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/noah-webster-dictionary

• 1839 - Indian tea in Britain

Indian tea became available in Britain for the first time. Up until this time only tea from China had been available, and that was very expensive. The import of Indian tea brought the price down so all could afford it, and it quickly became the national drink.

• 1849 - Elizabeth Blackwell graduated from Geneva Medical College

Is anyone interested in having a class lecture on her? Let me know! Elizabeth became the first woman to graduate from medical school. She went on to champion women in education, specifically in medicine.

• 1856 - First kindergarten in the U.S. is opened

Margarethe Schurz founded the first kindergarten (the term deriving from the German words for children and garden) in Watertown, Wisconsin. Margarethe was a German immigrant who had learned the principles of kindergarten from its creator, Friederich Frobel. Her sister founded the first kindergarten in London in the 1850s. To read more, click here: http://www.watertownhistory.org/Articles/KindergardenFirst.htm

• 1867 - Federal Department of Education was founded

President Andrew Johnson signed legislation to create the first Department of Education. The intent was to collect information about schools across the country. There were concerns that the department would have too much control over local schools, so it was demoted to an Office of Education the next year. The Department would take on a more active role in education in the 1950s, especially after the Soviet launch of Sputnik. As more eyes turned toward the state of education, particularly science, as well as those looking for greater equality across schooling, the Department came to play an important role in setting national standards.

• 1869 - Baby formula sells in the United States

Physicians had been trying to figure out a better solution to feeding babies that couldn’t nurse or wet nurse. Cow’s milk was not a good solution, so they recommended adding water, sugar, and cream to make it more digestible. German chemist Justus von Leibig developed the first commercial baby formula. The powdered wheat flour, cow’s milk, malt flour, and potassium bicarbonate was added to heated cow’s milk. It sold for $1 a bottle in grocery stores. 

• 1886 - The Mahogany Cake appears in the The Philadelphia Cookbook

Before Americans had chocolate and red velvet cake, they baked mahogany cake! It dates back to the late 1800s, but the first time it appears published is in Sarah Tyson Rorer’s cookbook. Early versions used ermine frosting, a whipped buttercream, that was the frosting of choice before cream cheese frosting became popular. If you want to try your hand at making one, click here: https://www.thekitchn.com/mahogany-chocolate-cake-265853

• 1900 - School attendance mandatory in 31 states

Massachusetts had first passed a compulsory education law in 1852 for children and required every town to create and operate a grammar school. More states followed, establishing the idea across the nation that public schooling was a common good. Mississippi became the last state to enact compulsory attendance laws in 1918. 

• 1901 - Booker T. Washington dined at the White House

After meeting with President Theodore Roosevelt, Washington was invited to stay for dinner with him, making him the first Black American to dine at the White House with the President. There was a general uproar from racists at the inclusion of a Black man at the White House.

• 1930 - Margarine consumptions exceeds butter consumption for the first time

Margarine had been developed in France in 1869. To be identified as margarine, it must contain a minimum of 80% fat. Lower fat products have been developed since, but they cannot be labeled as margarine. To read more about this product, click here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/food-science/margarine

• 1930 - Nestle Toll House Cookies were born

Ruth Wakefield ran the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts and was experimenting with cookie dough for her guests. She added semi-sweet chocolate to her dough, expecting it to melt and create a chocolate cookie. The chocolate held its shape and chocolate chip cookies were created! Thanks, Ruth!

That’s where our timeline leaves us for the week. Tune in to learn more about the period!

For kids:

For Adults: 

https://www.thoughtco.com/timeline-from-1850-to-1860-1774039

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_Well

https://www.britannica.com/summary/Manifest-Destiny-Timeline

gon-trail

https://www.history.com/news/reconstruction-timeline-steps

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsory_education

https://nwef.org/2021/07/10/americas-education-timeline/

https://www.americanboard.org/blog/11-facts-about-the-history-of-education-in-america/

https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/focus/what.html