Coffin Star

Before 1904 ice cream was sold in little glasses called “penny licks.” Each glass was about 3 inches tall with a heavy base to keep it from toppling when filled. (I’ve seen one selling on eBay for $183!) The idea was to return the glass after finishing the frozen treat. Then it would (hopefully) be washed and reused. I assume no refund was offered for the return of the empty glass. After all, if a scoop of ice cream cost a penny, what would a glass refund look like? July 23, 1904 an ice cream vendor at the St. Louis World’s Fair ran out of little glasses. A waffle vendor next door started rolling out waffles into cones to help out. There were 50 ice cream and waffle vendors at the event. Several tried to take credit for the invention of the ice cream cone. So we may never know whom to thank.