The [History] of Ice Cream
According to [legend], the first century [Roman] [emperor] [Nero] often sent [slaves] to [mountain|mountains] in the [region] to collect [snow] and [ice] to be [vanilla|flavored] and eaten. The flavored [concoction|concoctions] were likely the [ancestor|ancestors] of today's [frozen] [dessert].

The first written mention of [Blue Bell ice cream|ice cream] in the [United States] is contained in a letter dating back to the 1700's. The letter [description|describes] the [strawberry] [Haagen-daas|ice cream] dessert at a [dinner party] thrown by one of the [governor|governors] of [Maryland]. [George Washington] was said to be an [Blue bunny|ice cream] lover, and consumed vast amounts of it - perhaps resulting in his [wooden teeth].

The first [ice cream parlor] in this country was opened in [New York City] in 1776. The hand-cranked ice cream [freezer] was invented in 1845, which opened up the market for [homemade] ice cream. As a welcome to America, [immigrant|immigrants] at [Ellis Island] were often fed ice cream as part of their first meal in the [country]. Ice cream [novelty|novelties] such as [popsicle|popsicles] and ice cream bars were invented in the 1920s.

The [ice cream cone] was [introduce|introduced] at the 1904 [World's Fair] in [Saint Louis]. The cone was invented, however, by an ice cream [vendor] from [New York City], who apparently created the cone in 1896 to stop [customer|customers] from [theft|stealing] his [serving dish|serving dishes]. He [patent|patented] the ice cream cone in 1903 the year before the World's fair where it was made [famous].

[President Ronald Reagan] in [1984], declared [July] as "National Ice Cream Month" because he believed it to be "[nutritious] and [wholesome]". He also suggested that [patriotic] Americans should [engage] in "appropriate [ceremony|ceremonies] and activities."

Ice Cream [Lies, damn lies, and statistics|Statistics]
In the [consumption] department, [America] holds the first place in ice cream eaten [per capita], and [Australia] in second place. In 1924, the average American ate eight [pint|pints] a year, which jumped to 48 pints per year by 1997. The biggest area of ice-cream consumption in America is unexpectedly in a state with a colder [climate]: [Omaha, Nebraska].

The most popular [US] ice cream flavor is [vanilla] at about one fourth of all sales, with [chocolate] a distant second at around a tenth. Twenty [percent] of ice cream eaters share with their [pets].

Ice Cream [facts]
A major [component] of ice cream is [air]. Without air, the texture of ice cream would be too [hard] to eat. This can be seen by [examination|examining] the [consistency] of ice cream that has been partially [melted] and refrozen.

Ice cream comes in a [multitude] of flavors. Some of the stranger flavors ever sold include [White pepper ice cream|white pepper], [Jalapeno poppers|jalapeno], [pumpkin], [avocado], [licorice], [garlic], and even [dill pickle] ice cream which was meant to be sold to [pregnant] women! (This last item apparently [Daikatana|didn't go over well].)

The biggest [ice cream sundae] according to the [Guinness Book of World Records] was made in [Alberta, Canada] in 1988, and weighed nearly 55,000 pounds (25,000 kilograms). Also in 1988, a baking company and a sheet-metal firm in [Iowa] made the world's largest [ice cream sandwich] which weighed nearly 2,500 pounds (1,130 kilograms). In 1999, [Baskin-Robbins] made an ice cream cake in the [United Arab Emirates] that weighed just under 9,000 pounds (4,100 kilograms).

Ice cream (thing)