BREAD SLICER

The automatic commercial bread slicer was invented in 1927 by Otto Frederick Rohwedder from Iowa, USA (Rohwedder had worked on his machine since 1912). His machine both sliced and wrapped a loaf of bread. In 1928, the bread slicer was improved by Gustav Papendick, a baker from St Louis, Missouri.

BUBBLE GUM

Bubblegum was invented by Frank Henry Fleer in 1906, but was not successful; the formulation of Fleer’s “Blibber-Blubber” was too sticky. In 1928, Walter E. Diemer invented a superior formulation for bubble gum, which he called “Double Bubble”.

The mechanical cash register was invented (and patented) in 1879 by James Ritty (1836-1918). Ritty was an American bar keeper in Dayton, Ohio. He nicknamed his cash register the “Incorruptible Cashier” and started the National Manufacturing Company to sell them. When a transaction was completed, a bell rang on the cash register and the amount was noted on a large dial on the front of the machine. During each sale, a paper tape was punched with holes so that the merchant could keep track of sales (at the end of the day, he could add up the holes).

CHOCOLATE CHIPS

Ruth Wakefield invented chocolate chips (and chocolate chip cookies) in 1930. Wakefield ran the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts. Her new cookie invention was called the “Toll House Cookie”. Her original cookies used broken-up bars of semi-sweet chocolate.