George Crum – The Inventor of the Potato Chip
Every time a person crunches into a potato chip, he or she is enjoying the delicious taste of one of the world’s most famous snacks–a treat that might not exist without the contribution of black inventor George Crum. The son of an African-American father and a Native American mother, Crum was working as the chef in the summer of 1853 when he incidentally invented the chip. It all began when a patron who ordered a plate of French-fried potatoes sent them back to Crum’s kitchen because he felt they were too thick and soft. To teach the picky patron a lesson, Crum sliced a new batch of potatoes as thin as he possibly could, and then fried them until they were hard and crunchy. Finally, to top them off, he added a generous helping of salt. To Crum’s surprise, the dish ended up being a hit with the patron and a new snack was born! Though Crum never attempted to patent his invention, the snack was eventually mass-produced and sold in bags–providing thousands of jobs nationwide.