FOOD HISTORY TIMELINE
1961 to 1965
1961 'Boiling Bags' were introduced - frozen plastic packages of food that can be dropped in boiling water to heat them for serving.
1961 Teflon coated frying pans were introduced.
1961 The first franchised Hardee's fast food restaurant opened in Rocky Mount, North Carolina on May 5. (see also Sept 3, 1960)
1961 Discovered that spraying linseed oil mixtures on new concrete prevented damage from salt put on roads to melt ice during winter.
1961 U.S. President Kennedy announces pilot food stamp programs would be initiated. The pilot programs would retain the requirement that the food stamps be purchased, but eliminated the concept of special stamps for surplus foods. A Department spokesman indicated the emphasis would be on increasing the consumption of perishables.
Mr. and Mrs. Alderson Muncy of Paynesville, West Virginia, were the first food stamp recipients on May 29, 1961. They purchased $95 in food stamps for their 15-person household.
1961 A technique for tenderizing beef was patented. It involved injecting papain, an enzyme made from papaya, directly into the bloodstream of living animals.
1961 Omar Knedlik of Coffeyville, Kansas invented the first frozen carbonated drink machine.
1961 Carpaccio was invented in 1961 at Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy. It was named for the Renaissance painter Vittore Carpaccio who was noted for his use of red in his paintings. Thin sliced raw beef served with a cold vinaigrette made with olive oil, or just olive oil and lemon juice (and sometimes Parmesan cheese). Generally served on a bed of greens such as watercresss, endive, arugula and/or radicchio. Originally the beef was seared quickly, and the seared portion then trimmed off before slicing.
1961 Method developed to prevent gelling in canned evaporated milk.
1961 Quaker Oats Company introduced 'Life' cereal.
1961 Julia Child's first book was published, 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking'
1961 'Mr. Ed' the talking horse debuts on TV.
1961 The Beatles performed at the Casbah Coffee Club, West Derby, Liverpool.
1961 Wilhelm Koppers died. This cultural anthropologist developed theories on the origins of society based on studies of hunter-gatherer tribes.
1961 'Shop Around' by 'The Miracles' becomes Motown Records first million selling single.
1961 The record Jewfish weighed 680 pounds and was caught in Fernandina Beach, Florida.
1961 The Supremes first single recording was released, 'Buttered Popcorn.'
1961 The World Wildlife Fund, a conservation organization, was founded.
1961 Method developed for measuring pungency of onions by determining amount of pyruvic acid.
1961 Earle Dickson died. He invented band-aids for his wife, who had frequent kitchen accidents, cutting or burning herself. He worked as a buyer for Johnson & Johnson, who soon began manufacturing band-aids.
1961 Chad Smith, Antony Kiedis and 'Flea' (Michael Peter Balzary) of the music group 'Red Hot Chili Peppers' were born.
1961 During lunchtime, Brian Epstein heard the Beatles for the first time at The Cavern in Liverpool.
1961 Michael Rockefeller, son of Governor Nelson Rockefeller, disappeared, and was presumed eaten by the cannibals of New Guinea.
1961 H.W. Lay Co. of Atlanta and Frito Co. of Dallas merged to form Frito-Lay Inc.
1961 General Mills introduced 'Total' breakfast cereal.
1961 Unilever introduced 'Mrs. Butterworth's Syrup.
1961 Green Giant entered the frozen food business with peas, corn, green beans and baby Lima beans in pouches with butter sauce.
1961 Coca-Cola Co. introduced 'Sprite' lemon-lime soft drink to compete with 7-Up.
1961 Carnation introduced 'Coffee-Mate' nondairy creamer.
1961 Lutece restaurant opened in New York.
1961 Ray Kroc purchased all rights to the MacDonald's name from the MacDonald brothers. (the 'a' in 'Mac' was later dropped).
1961 The musical comedy 'Milk and Honey' opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York.
1961 'A Cook for Mr. General' opened at the Playhouse Theatre in New York City.
1962 David Burke was born. A multiple award winning American celebrity chef and restaurateur.
1962 The pull tab for beverage cans is introduced.
1962 Powdered butter was developed in Australia.
1962 Ernie Kovacs, innovative comedian, died. One of Kovacs' first TV appearances was in Philadelphia in 1950 with a chef, Albert Mathis from the Gulph Mills Country Club, in a live unrehearsed cooking show titled 'Deadline for Dinner.'
1962 The Twilight Zone episode 'To Serve Man' premiered. It is about aliens who arrive here 'to serve man,' but not quite in the way we assumed.
1962 The Top Of The Needle restaurant in the Seattle, Washington Space Needle, was officially opened. It was the second revolving restaurant in the U.S. It seats 260 and rotates completely once every hour. (The world's first revolving restaurant was the La Ronde Restaurant built in 1961 atop the Ala Moana building fronting the Ala Moana shopping center. The restaurant has since closed down.)
1962 Irma S. Rombauer died (born Oct 30, 1877). Author of 'The Joy of Cooking' - one of the most published cookbooks, she originally had to pay to have the book privately published in 1931. Finally in 1936, publisher Bobbs-Merril Co. published the cookbook and it has been in print ever since.
1962 'Mashed Potato Time' by Dee Dee Sharp reached #1 on the charts.
1962 Booker T and the MG's released their instrumental single 'Green Onions'.
1962 The Four Seasons 'Sherry' hits number 1 on the charts.
1962 'The Monster Mash' by Bobby “Boris” Picket and the Crypt Kickers was number one on the music charts.
1962 Marilyn Monroe sings 'Happy Birthday' at a birthday salute to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden.
1962 Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' was published. An American biologist, the book was concerned with the dangers of environmental pollution, especially DDT
1962 Planters introduced dry roasted peanuts.
1962 The play 'I Can Get It for You Wholesale' opened on Broadway in New York City.
1962 In Pennsylvania, a garbage dump begins to burn underground, and the fire spreads to nearby coal mining tunnels. It was still burning in 1984. It may still be burning.
1962 Conrad Arnold Elvehjem died. American biochemist who identified nicotinic acid as a vitamin (one of the B vitamins), and that a deficiency caused the disease pellagra.
1962 Marilyn Monroe (Norma Jean) died. American actress, primarily remembered as being crowned Artichoke Queen of 1947 in Castroville, California.
1962 Library collection of USDA designated as National Agricultural Library.
1962 The United Farm Workers union is founded by Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta.
1962 Boxer Evander Holyfield was born. On June 28, 1997, Mike Tyson bit off a chunk of Holyfield's ear in the 3rd round of a boxing match. Tyson was disqualified.
1962 Michael Chiarello was born. American celebrity chef, author, winery owner and cooking show host.
1962 Ferran Adria was born. Head Chef at El Bulli restaurant in Roses, Spain. Considered one of the world's greatest Chefs, he has been called 'the Salvador Dali of the kitchen.'
1962 Alton Brown was born. American celebrity chef and author. Host of Food Network TV shows ‘Good Eats’, ‘Iron Chef America’ and ‘Next Iron Chef’, ‘Cutthroat Kitchen’, etc.
1963 Skye Gyngell was born in Australia. Chef at Petersham Nurseries Cafe in Britian, food editor for Vogue magazine.
1963 'The Girl Who Came to Supper' opened on Broadway.
1963 Maxwell House introduced the first freeze-dried instant coffee.
1963 Jean Nidetch founded Weight Watchers.
1963 Fruit Loops breakfast cereal is introduced.
1963 Irradiation was used for the first time in 1963 to sterilize dried fruits and vegetables, in order to stop sprouting and to control insect infestation.
1963 Discovered that wild carrots give sheep acute sensitivity to sunlight, causing sunburn of sensitive areas.
1963 ChipsAhoy! chocolate chip cookies are introduced.
1963 The one billionth McDonald's hamburger was served by Ray Kroc on the Art Linkletter Show.
1963 Julia Child's TV show 'The French Chef' begins.
1963 Willard Scott plays Ronald McDonald on TV for the first time
1963 The 'Whisky A Go-Go' opens in Los Angeles - the first disco in the U.S.
1963 The Beatles and the Rolling Stones met for the first time at the Crawdaddy Club.
1963 On January 23 during a very cold winter, a tank holding 3 million gallons of soybean oil in Mankato, Minnesota ruptured and flooded the streets, eventually making its way to the Mississippi River. In the spring, more than 10,000 ducks were found dead in the wetlands along the river.
1963 Coca Cola introduced TaB, its new diet cola.
1963 'Cleopatra' premiered in New York, staring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Rex Harrison. It is rumored that the caterers were the only ones who made money on this movie.
1963 President John F. Kennedy said 'I am a jelly donut' (Ich bin ein Berliner) in a speech to the citizens of Berlin. He meant to say 'I am a Berliner' (Ich bin Berliner). 'Ein Berliner' means jelly donut.
1963 Five digit Zip Codes are introduced for U.S. mail.
1963 Lisa Marie Diane Kudrow was born. American actress, her first major TV role was as the strange waitress on 'Mad About You.'
1963 Eric Clapton leaves the 'Roosters' to form the band 'Casey Jones and the Engineers.'
1963 'Sugar Shack' by Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs, hit number 1 on the charts.
1963 Viking ruins were found by archaeologists in Newfoundland, dated to about the year 1,000. Leif Ericson had landed at 'Vinland' - 500 years before Columbus 'discovered' the New World.
1963 The enigmatic 'Louie Louie' was released by the Kingsmen.
1964 St. Paul, Minnesota gets its first McDonald's Restaurant. Burgers are 15 cents each.
1964 Robert William Flay (Bobby Flay) was born. Celebrity chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, host of numerous TV cooking shows.
1964 The Food Stamp Act of 1964 creates a permanent food stamp program.
1964 The first 12 oz aluminum can was introduced by Royal Crown Cola. It wasn't until 3 years later that Coke started using the aluminum can.
1964 Jack Teagarden, jazz trombonist died.
1964 World's largest cheese was made, a 34,591 pound cheddar. It was created by the Wisconsin Cheese Foundation for the 1964/65 New York World's Fair. It took 170,000 quarts of milk from 16,000 cows. It was eaten at the 1965 annual meeting of the Wisconsin Dairymen & Cheesemakers Association. A replica is on display in Neillsville, Wisconsin.
1964 The TV show 'Gilligan's Island' premiered. The comic tales of 7 shipwrecked castaways on an island.
1964 'Noodles', guitarist of 'The Offspring' was born.
1964 Plastic milk container introduced commercially.
1964 Rachel Louise Carson died. An American biologist and author of 'Silent Spring,' about environmental pollution, especially the dangers of DDT.
1964 The New York World's Fair opens in Flushing Meadows on the same site as the 1939 World's Fair. I had my first Heineken beer at their exhibition there. As a matter of fact, I spent every weekend there from April to October for the 2 years the Fair was open. I sampled music, food, beer and wine from around the world, and it helped inspire my interest in cooking and food history.
1964 Pepsi Cola introduced Diet Pepsi.
1964 T.S. Eliot writes to Groucho Marx "The picture of you in the newspaper saying that, amongst other reasons, you have come to London to see me has greatly enhanced my credit line in the neighborhood, and particularly with the greengrocer across the street."
1964 The African Groundnut Council founded in Dakar.
1964 'Chapel of Love' by Dixie Cups hits #1 on the charts
1964 Arthur Melin of the Wham-O company (of Frisbee fame) patented the hula-hoop. Great exercise.
1964 'The House Of The Rising Sun' by the Animals hit #1 on the charts.
1964 Buffalo Wings were created. Created by Teressa Bellissimo at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York, for her son and some friends for a midnight snack.
1964 Nic Dalton of the music group 'Lemonheads' was born.
1964 Canada adopted the maple leaf as the official symbol for its national flag.
1964 Colonel Harland Sanders sells his Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant chain, but remains as a spokesman for the company.
1964 Bobby Chinn was born. Chef, restaurateur, author and TV cooking show host. Restaurants in Vietnam. Discovery Network TV shows: 'World Café Asia' and .Bobby Chinn Cooks Asia'
1964 Robert Irvine was born. British celebrity chef. Food Network shows include ‘Dinner: Impossible’; ‘Worst Cooks in America’; ‘Restaurant: Impossible’.
1964 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' Christmas special first aired on NBC TV.
1964 Bernard Frank died (born 1902). American forester and conservationist, he was one of the eight co-founders of the Wilderness Society.
1964 The 17.6 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel opened to traffic. "One of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World."
1965 Swedish engineer Sten Gustav Thulin was issued U.S. patent No. 3,180,557 (assigned to Celloplast company) for the modern disposable plastic grocery bag.
1965 Astronaut John Young smuggled a corned beef sandwich aboard the first Gemini spacecraft flight.
1965 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' premiered on CBS TV.
1965 Cool Whip, a whipped cream substitute, was introduced by General Foods. Within 3 months it is the top selling whipped topping product.
1965 Ellen Church died on Aug 22 (born Sept 22, 1904). The first airline stewardess. See May 15, 1930
1965 Canada adopted its new red & white flag with a red maple leaf in the center.
1965 The first Subway sandwich shop opens in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
1965 'Pepper' Martin, baseball player died.
1965 Discovered that addition of vitamins C and E reduced levels of nitrosamines in fried bacon and nitrite-cured products; industry changed processing to minimize consumer exposure to cancer-causing nitrosamines.
1965 The entire cast of the comic strip 'Peanuts' was featured on the cover of TIME magazine.
1965 R. C. Duncan was granted a patent for 'Pampers' disposable diapers.
1965 Campbell Soup Company introduces Franco-American Spaghetti-O's.
1965 Jimmy Chamberlain of the music group 'The Smashing Pumpkins' was born.
1965 The Rolling Stones recorded the frustrated diners lament, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction."
1965 Norwood Fisher of the music group 'Fishbone' was born.
1965 Green Acres TV show debuted.
1965 Paul Hermann Muller died. A Swiss chemist who discovered that DDT was a potent insecticide. It was the most widely used insecticide for more than 20 years, and helped to increase food production around the world. Due mainly to its accumulation in animals that eat insects, and its toxic effects on them and those further up the food chain, it has been banned in the U.S. since 1972. However its residue is still found in some foods grown in the U.S. in 2005.
1965 The Pillsbury Doughboy, 'Poppin' Fresh,' was born. He made his debut in a commercial for crescent rolls.
1965 At 5:15 pm on November 9, a 13 hour blackout of the northeastern U.S. and parts of Canada began when the electric grid failed.
1965 British author, W. Somerset Maugham died. Among the titles of his novels and short stories are: 'Cakes and Ale', 'The Alien Corn' and 'The Breadwinner.'
1965 'Taste Of Honey' by Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass hit #1 on the charts