History of Sliced Bread

History of sliced bread little known on 75th anniversary

CHILLICOTHE, Mo. - Everyone has heard "it's the greatest thing since sliced bread," used to hype everything from toasters to cell phones.

Indeed, the phrase is the ultimate depiction of innovative achievement and American know-how.

Yet few know when and where this icon of cultural convenience made its debut in the American marketplace.

But thanks to a curious newspaper editor, the northwest Missouri town of Chillicothe can claim the distinction of being the first place in the world where sliced bread was sold to the public 75 years ago this month.

Kathy Stortz Ripley, editor of the Constitution-Tribune, was incredulous when she came upon a news story dated July 7, 1928, announcing that the Chillicothe Baking Co. was now marketing wrapped loaves of sliced bread to local grocery stores.

"I read the story and thought, `This is incredible,' " said Ripley, who was researching Chillicothe's history for a book. "I couldn't believe something this big I hadn't heard of before."

An accompanying ad trumpeted: "Announcing: The Greatest Forward Step in the Baking Industry Since Bread was Wrapped -- Sliced Kleen Maid Bread."

But the boast is not without controversy. Battle Creek, Mich., the nation's cereal capital, also claims to be the home of sliced bread. But that claim, so far, seems half-baked. When pressed this month, Battle Creek's historians were unable to produce proof.

Ripley took her find to Livingston County Library Director Karen Hicklin, who identified the home of the defunct Chillicothe Bakery as a brick building now housing an electronics supply shop. Sadly, the bread slicer was junked years ago.

Hicklin eventually found old-timers who described how the bulky machine, invented by itinerant Iowa jeweler Otto Rohwedder, raised and lowered its steel blades and stuffed the sliced loaves into wax-paper wrappers.

"I thought, `How in the world could anything like this be forgotten?' " Hicklin said.

How indeed. Although credited with the invention, Otto Rohwedder is all but lost to history. Even the Smithsonian's American History Museum lacks information on the origins of sliced bread.

And yet, few inventions have so monumentally capitalized on the consumer's love of convenience.

Sliced bread saved homemakers hours of drudgery. It put toasters in every home. And it resulted in millions of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"What could be easier than to reach into a wrapped loaf of bread and pull out a slice?" said Mark Dirkes, a spokesman for Interstate Bakeries Corp. in Kansas City, which now owns Wonder Bread.

The popularity of sliced bread eventually reduced Rohwedder to a footnote. By 1930, Rohwedder had sold his patent. Inventors and bakers improved upon his clunky machine.

Wonder Bread, which already wrapped its loaves, built its own machines and used delivery trucks to market sliced bread across the nation.



					The True History of Sliced Bread The next best thing to Puzzookies


				Posted on Tue, Jul. 29, 2003 History of sliced bread little known on 75th anniversary By PAUL WENSKE The Kansas City Star CHILLICOTHE, Mo. - Everyone has heard "it's the greatest thing since sliced bread," used to hype everything from toasters to cell phones. Indeed, the phrase is the ultimate depiction of innovative achievement and American know-how. Yet few know when and where this icon of cultural convenience made its debut in the American marketplace. But thanks to a curious newspaper editor, the northwest Missouri town of Chillicothe can claim the distinction of being the first place in the world where sliced bread was sold to the public 75 years ago this month. Kathy Stortz Ripley, editor of the Constitution-Tribune, was incredulous when she came upon a news story dated July 7, 1928, announcing that the Chillicothe Baking Co. was now marketing wrapped loaves of sliced bread to local grocery stores. "I read the story and thought, `This is incredible,' " said Ripley, who was researching Chillicothe's history for a book. "I couldn't believe something this big I hadn't heard of before." An accompanying ad trumpeted: "Announcing: The Greatest Forward Step in the Baking Industry Since Bread was Wrapped -- Sliced Kleen Maid Bread." But the boast is not without controversy. Battle Creek, Mich., the nation's cereal capital, also claims to be the home of sliced bread. But that claim, so far, seems half-baked. When pressed this month, Battle Creek's historians were unable to produce proof. Ripley took her find to Livingston County Library Director Karen Hicklin, who identified the home of the defunct Chillicothe Bakery as a brick building now housing an electronics supply shop. Sadly, the bread slicer was junked years ago. Hicklin eventually found old-timers who described how the bulky machine, invented by itinerant Iowa jeweler Otto Rohwedder, raised and lowered its steel blades and stuffed the sliced loaves into wax-paper wrappers. "I thought, `How in the world could anything like this be forgotten?' " Hicklin said. How indeed. Although credited with the invention, Otto Rohwedder is all but lost to history. Even the Smithsonian's American History Museum lacks information on the origins of sliced bread. And yet, few inventions have so monumentally capitalized on the consumer's love of convenience. Sliced bread saved homemakers hours of drudgery. It put toasters in every home. And it resulted in millions of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. "What could be easier than to reach into a wrapped loaf of bread and pull out a slice?" said Mark Dirkes, a spokesman for Interstate Bakeries Corp. in Kansas City, which now owns Wonder Bread. The popularity of sliced bread eventually reduced Rohwedder to a footnote. By 1930, Rohwedder had sold his patent. Inventors and bakers improved upon his clunky machine. Wonder Bread, which already wrapped its loaves, built its own machines and used delivery trucks to market sliced bread across the nation.