It’s pretty common to say that something is “the greatest thing since sliced bread” – and sliced bread is pretty great, isn’t it? I lose track of just how many sandwiches I eat per week. They really are as convenient as the Earl of Sandwich envisioned all those centuries ago, and they’re so much more convenient when we don’t have to try to evenly cut off slices of bread each time. It’s all perfectly sliced before we even buy it, and we can all thank one Hawkeye State resident for that. That’s right, the inventor of sliced bread was born right here in
Davenport, Iowa, before coming up with the very first automated bread slicer. It was a long, complex journey to sliced bread being a part of our everyday life, and we can all thank Otto Rohwedder and that trademark Iowa grit.

Sliced bread is one of those inventions that seems like it's been around forever - but it actually dates back to 1912 in Iowa!
Fran Hogan/Wikipedia
Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented the first automatic bread-slicer in 1912, but his first prototype was destroyed in a fire. It took him another 16 years before the machine would be complete.
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Once it was complete, there would be buyers lined up! The first bread-slicer was sold to the Chillicothe Bread Company in Missouri, which is now a national historic place.
Americasroof/Wikipedia

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No surprise, once people got their first taste of sliced bread, they wanted more, and the machines would be sold quickly. A brief ban in 1943 due to wartime conservation measures did nothing to dim the fervor.
Public Domain/Wikipedia
Rohwedder would eventually sell his rights to a Bettendorf company and go on to be a major force in the company. He died in 1960 at age 80.
Nick Number/Wikipedia
Not too many people today know Rohwedder's name unless they're into Iowa history or food history, but they're paying tribute to him every time they dig into a PB&J!
baibaz/Getty Images

Did you know the inventor of sliced bread was born in Iowa? Tell us your favorite uses for Rohwedder’s culinary innovation in the comments section! The next time you pack sandwiches for your road trip snack supply, Iowa’s to thank. For another unexpected culinary innovation to come out of Iowa, check out the restaurant that claims to have invented the taco pizza.

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