1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: Heart Radio hi Um Eves Welcome to This Day in 3 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: History Class, a show that reveals a little bit more 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:24,479 Speaker 1: about history day by day. Today is July seventh. The 5 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: day was July seventh, the Chillicottie Baking Company in Missouri 6 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:35,479 Speaker 1: sold the first wrapped package of automatically sliced bread. Otto 7 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:39,160 Speaker 1: Frederick Roeherer was a jeweler who owned three jewelry stores 8 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: in Missouri, but in nineteen twelve he had also started 9 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 1: working on creating a bread slicing machine. At the time, 10 00:00:47,479 --> 00:00:50,560 Speaker 1: people either baked their own bread or bought whole loaves 11 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: of bread from the bakery. When they wanted a slice 12 00:00:53,400 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 1: of bread, they had to cut it themselves. That wasn't 13 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,960 Speaker 1: a terrible task, but it was inconvenient since it was 14 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: time consuming and slices were hard to cut uniformly. Roe 15 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: Wetter created several prototypes for his bread slicing machines, but 16 00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:11,839 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventeen, a fire at a factory in mom Laths, Illinois, 17 00:01:11,959 --> 00:01:15,840 Speaker 1: destroyed his blueprints and a prototype he built. It took 18 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: him several years to get back up and running, but 19 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:21,680 Speaker 1: as he continued working on the design of the machine, 20 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 1: he realized that he would have to incorporate into his 21 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: invention away to keep the slice bread fresh. Slice bread 22 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: goes stale faster than bread that is not sliced. He 23 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:36,280 Speaker 1: began designing a machine that sliced and wrapped bread pins 24 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:40,759 Speaker 1: held the loaf together inside the bag. In n row 25 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: Weather filed a patent for a quote machine for slicing 26 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: an entire loaf of bread at a single location, which 27 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: he received in nineteen thirty two, but he sold his 28 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: first machine to his friend and baker, Frank Bench of 29 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: the Chilicothee Baking Company. On July six, the Chilicothee Constitution 30 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: Tribune printed a story that said the Chilicothee Baking Company 31 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,919 Speaker 1: would begin selling sliced bread the next day. The article 32 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: explained the slicing process and the benefits of pre sliced 33 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 1: and wrapped bread. There is not crumbing and no crushing 34 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: of the loaf, and the result is such that the 35 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: housewife can well experience a thrill of pleasure when she 36 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,120 Speaker 1: first sees a loaf of this bread. With each slice 37 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: the exact counterpart of its fellows. So neat and precise 38 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: are the slices, and so definitely better than anyone could 39 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 1: possibly slice by hand with the bread knife. That one 40 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,920 Speaker 1: realizes instantly that here is a refinement that will receive 41 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: a hardy and permanent welcome. Clean made sliced bread, as 42 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: the Chilicothee Baking Company called it, was successful. Customers were 43 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 1: a fan of the conveniently sliced bread, and demand for 44 00:02:50,800 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 1: row Wetter slicing machine grew. The first bread slicer broke 45 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: down after about six months of heavy use. That benches bakery, 46 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: but some bakers were still skeptical as some loads did 47 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:07,800 Speaker 1: not look neat enough. A baker named Gustav Popendick bought 48 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: row Wedders second machine and worked on improving its design 49 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:14,959 Speaker 1: and function. His modifications put the bread and cardboard trays 50 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,920 Speaker 1: and wrapped it in wax paper. Those sliced bread was 51 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,720 Speaker 1: growing in popularity. The Great Depression hit in nineteen twenty nine. 52 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 1: Row Weather had to sell the rice to his invention, 53 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 1: and the micro Westcoe Company of Bettendorf, Iowa, purchased his 54 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: bread slicing machines. He became vice president and sales manager 55 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 1: of the company's row Weather Bakery machine division. In nineteen thirty, 56 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 1: wonder Bread began to sail commercially produced pre sliced wrapped 57 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: loaves of bread, making it popular around the US. Pre 58 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: sliced bread was banned during World War Two to preserve 59 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: food and metal, but the band was lifted two months 60 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: after it began. Sliced bread had become a staple in 61 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 1: households around the country. July seventh is also Roweder's birthday. 62 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: I'm Eves Defico and hopefully you know a little more 63 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. And if you're 64 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: so inclined, you can follow us at T D I 65 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: h C podcast on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Thanks again 66 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:24,159 Speaker 1: for listening, and I hope you come back tomorrow for 67 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 1: more delicious morsels of history. For more podcasts from I 68 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 69 00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.