National Ice Cream Day (2024)

When is National Ice Cream Day 2024?

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream on National Ice Cream Day on July 18.

History of National Ice Cream Day

There’s no known inventor that can be credited with creating ice cream, unfortunately. But the history of ice cream is as rich as gelato. It’s been said that ice cream-like food was first consumed in China sometime between 618-97 AD. The first dish was made from flour, buffalo milk, and camphor, an organic compound commonly used in lotion. It’s also been noted that Alexander the Great adored ice and snow flavored with nectar and honey.

We’ve also identified that the Bible indicates that King Solomon enjoyed iced drinks during the harvest season. Speaking of homemade, during the Roman Empire, Caesar would send people to gather snow from the mountains, just to cover it in fruit and juices.

Close to a thousand years later in Italy, Marco Polo had returned from the Far East and bought back a recipe for what we now know as sherbet. It is assumed that this recipe developed into what we now know as ice cream which was once called ‘‘Cream Ice.’ It was in 1660 that the general public was presented with ice cream. An Italian man named Francesco Procopio Dei Coltelli decided to perfect a machine made by his fisherman grandfather which produced top-quality gelato in his café. The recipe blended milk, butter, eggs, and cream and was sold in Paris.

The first mention of ice cream in the United States derives from a letter written in Maryland in 1744 by Governor William Bladen’s guest. Then, the New York Gazette on May 12, 1777, printed the first advert for ice cream in the United States. Following the American Revolution, ice cream became super popular in the US.

Since then ice cream has exploded onto the desert scene with the creation of home machines, as well as the emergence of ice cream vans, ice cream floats, sundaes, and well-known brands like ‘‘Ben and Jerry’s’’ and ‘‘Haagen-Dazs’’ that we still consume to this day. The effect of ice cream on society is so great, that the brain of an ice cream lover has been likened to that of an addict. When the brain wants ice cream, it reacts like a passionate fanatic.

National Ice Cream Day timeline

National Ice Cream Day - Survey Results

National Ice Cream Day By Numbers

1851 – the year when commercial ice cream production started in Boston, U.S.A.

48 pints – the amount of ice cream consumed by the average person in the U.S. every year.

90% – the percentage of households in America that consume ice cream.

24 tons – the weight of the biggest ice-cream sundae made in Alberta, Canada.

250 years – the time it took for the recipe for ice cream to come to North America.

1904 – the year when ice cream cones were invented.

9000 – the gallons of ice cream that can be made by the milk produced by a cow in its lifetime.

$500 million – Food Marketing experts predict that we’ll be spending half a billion on organic ice cream by 2024.

12,096 pounds – the weight of the world’s largest ice cream cake.

50 – the average number of licks it takes to finish one ice cream.

3 – the number of levers on a standard ice-cream machine.

National Ice Cream Day Activities

1. Get it on sale

   If you want to partake in this awesome day, many stores and ice cream parlors are having great sales and special deals online and in-store to commemorate this day. Buy extra just because you have the sweetest excuse!

2. Make your own

   Never tried to make ice cream at home before? Well, this is your chance. Homemade ice cream is simple yet rewarding. You can jazz it up by adding bits of your favorite fruit, chocolate, or even classic cookie dough. If you're tired of the usual vanilla and strawberry flavors, get creative and taste test to your heart’s desire.

3. Create an ice cream bowl

   Just like that favorite mug you have in the kitchen, why not immortalize your love for ice cream on this day and make an ice cream bowl. Simply head on over to your local ceramics store and create your own bowl so you can gobble some ice cream on this day and always.

Take the National Ice Cream Day Quiz

5 Super Cool Facts About Ice Cream

1. It was used as a greeting

   Because of its lush taste, ice cream was used as a greeting when immigrants arrived on Ellis Island.

2. Thomas Jefferson loved it

   Thomas Jefferson was an ice cream fanatic and the Library of Congress collected his original handwritten recipe for vanilla ice cream.

3. How dairy?

   It is said that nine percent of all the milk produced in the US is actually used on making ice cream.

4. Vanilla takes it all

   In the United states Vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor, with 29% of total sales.

5. Long Beach eats it the most

   Compared to all other cities, the most ice cream is consumed in Long Beach, California.

Why We Love National Ice Cream Day

1. Choice

   Cookie Dough. Vanilla bean. Mint chocolate chip. There are multiple flavors to choose from to satisfy your national ice cream day cravings.

2. I have an ice dream

   Ice cream is the textbook dessert for all seasons. You can cool down in the summer with a scoop of your favorite flavor, or enjoy it in the winter accompanied by a warm cake or pie. You can also whizz it in a blender and make a milkshake. No matter the season, does ice cream ever disappoint?

3. A lick of pint

   Though some ice cream comes in half-gallon cartons, for some reason we still crave the pint. Why? It’s just the perfect size when you want to eat out of the container and watch a movie.

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