Can you imagine a world without cool, creamy ice-cream cones?An ice-cream vendor named
Charles Menches was doing such booming business that he ran out of
bowls to put the ice cream in. The vendor next to Menches was a young
Syrian immigrant named Ernest Hamwi.But, if crunchy, salty treats like potato chips are your preference, then you owe
a debt of gratitude to a cranky chef and a picky diner who lived over
150 years ago.Hamwi was selling a Syrian treat
called zalabia, a crisp, wafer-like pastry.Hamwi rolled some of his warm pastry into a cone
so that Menches could put ice cream inside.Yet all these treats are fairly recent inventions that may never have come into existence if it weren't for lucky
accidents.Crum sliced the
potatoes as thinly as possible and fried them in grease.Isn't it depressing to imagine life without
chewy, delicious, chocolate chip cookies?And who could get by without salty, addictive, crispy potato chips?Some prefer the indulgence of delicious
freshly baked goods, like chocolate chip cookies.However, after taking the cookies out of the oven, Wakefield discovered that the
chocolate hadn't melted.Hamwi came up with a solution
to Menches' quandary.One winter day in 1905, young
Epperson was making soda pop by mixing powdered soda and water.Epperson's children
referred to this treat made by their pop as a popsicle.On August 24, 1853, George Crum was working as a chef in
a restaurant when he became frustrated with a customer.To Crum's astonishment,
the customer thought the chips were delectable.Some have made our lives richer, sweeter, and tastier!These people should be grateful for an
accidental discovery made by an American housewife in 1930.One day Ruth Wakefield
was making chocolate cookies when she realized that she had run out of baker's
chocolate.Wakefield decided to substitute broken-up pieces of a chocolate bar she had
on hand.She assumed that the small pieces of chocolate would melt and mix into the
batter.Much to Wakefield's delight, the chocolate chip cookie proved to
be a great success with her family and guests.Wakefield sold the recipe
to the chocolate company Nestle(R) in exchange for a lifetime supply
of chocolate chips.Have you ever enjoyed the cool refreshment of a popsicle on a hot summer day?In the morning, Epperson discovered that the fruit-flavored liquid had
frozen to the stick.The customer had
repeatedly sent back his French fries, complaining that they were too thick
and soggy.They became a regular item on
the restaurant's menu and, in time, became a staple of the global fast food industry.Of course, not everyone is a fan of frozen treats.Instead, there were little chips of chocolate throughout
the cookie.It wasn't long before the chocolate chip cookie
became a world-famous treat.But, perhaps your dessert of choice on a hot day is an ice-cream cone.If so, you
have an 11-year-old boy named Frank Epperson to thank.He accidentally left
the mixing bucket outside with the mixing stick in it overnight.Although he tried and liked his invention, it wasn't until eighteen years
later that it occurred to him to turn his invention into a business.Today, popsicles are enjoyed by
millions of people around the world.Fed up, Crum decided to teach him a lesson.Clearly not all accidents are bad.If
so, you should be glad for the unexpected event that brought two men
together at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.In that instant, a favorite
international hot weather treat was born.That night, the temperature
reached freezing.That name
stuck and eventually became the official name.