Taking "the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped", the Chillicothe Baking Co of Chillicothe, Missouri, proudly put on sale its Kleen Maid Sliced Bread', on this day in 1928.
Marking the occasion, the Chillicothe Constitution Tribune declaredthat "The Chillicothe Baking Company has installed a power drive multi-bladed bread slicer which performs a feat which heretofore had been considered by bakers as being impossible namely the slicing of fresh loaves".
The bread slicer was invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder, who had patented a "machine for slicing an entire loaf of bread at a single operation".
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
But the slices produced by Rohwedder's machine had to be held together with metal pins before being wrapped. It was not until Gustav Papendick of St Louis improved the machine that consumers could enjoy their bread free of iron spikes.
Before long, other bakeries were getting in on the act, and in 1930 the Continental Baking Company introduced Wonder Bread', and sold it across the US.
By 1933, 80% of the bread baked in American bakeries was sliced bread. Its success led to Americans eating more slices of bread than ever before. This led to a boom in toaster sales, and an increase in consumption of butter, jams, and spreads of all kinds.
Sliced bread first came to Britain in the 1930s. But we seem to be falling out of love with it. Consumption has been falling for decades, and on average, Britons now consume just two to three slices of bread a day, compared with seven slices a day 70 years ago.
-
Most expensive street in Britain to buy on has houses with '£10m average asking price', Rightmove findsNews Rightmove found Buckingham Gate, close to Buckingham Palace, was the most expensive street in the country. Do you live near one that's been included on the list?
-
Smaller companies: starting to turn?The long-awaited turnaround in smaller companies is unlikely to happen just because shares are lowly-valued. However, an improving economic and interest rate backdrop could spark renewed interest in the sector. M&A activity is also providing support for the smaller companies sector
