Brunch has an understandable hold on Americans — after all, who can pass up the opportunity to enjoy a delicious smattering of sweet and savory plates (alongside good company, of course)? Apparently, Americans of the past couldn’t say no either, gathering to share food and fun at so-called “waffle frolics.” These waffle-eating get-togethers were most popular during the colonial era, eventually petering out by the mid-20th century. At their peak, they were elaborate, multicourse meals that showcased freshly ironed waffles as the main course. 

Eggo waffles were originally called “froffles.”

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California inventors and brothers Frank, Anthony, and Sam Dorsa debuted frozen cooked waffles, dubbed “Froffles” (“frozen” + “waffles”), in 1953. They changed the name to Eggos after the name of their company, which originally sold an egg-rich mayonnaise.

Little is recorded about the particulars of early waffle frolics, but one description, by William Livingstone, a 21-year-old Yale student who recounted his party experience in a 1744 letter, describes the soiree as a lavish affair. “After a few games, a magnificent supper appeared in grand order and decorum,” he wrote. “[B]ut for my own part I was not a little grieved that so luxurious a feast should come under the name of a wafel-frolic, because if this be the case I must expect but a few wafel-frolics for the future.”

Waffles have been widely eaten throughout Europe since the Middle Ages, sold by street vendors and often consumed on religious holidays. Eventually, they made their way to the American colonies alongside the Pilgrims, and it was in the New World where they were paired with maple syrup for the first time. Culinary lore sometimes suggests it was founding father Thomas Jefferson who ignited the waffle frolic craze in the 1790s upon his return from France, after he arrived with four waffle irons in his luggage. As president, Jefferson reportedly served the treat to Meriwether Lewis at the White House prior to the Lewis and Clark expedition. However, historians at Jefferson’s Monticello estate say there’s little evidence that the third president heavily influenced colonial waffle culture. It’s possible the crispy, grid-marked cakes were destined to become an American favorite all on their own. 

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You wouldn’t think of the filmmaker responsible for Psycho, The Birds, and Vertigo as having any phobias, let alone one as rare as ovaphobia. And yet the Master of Suspense once admitted on the record that he was “worse than frightened” of eggs, which he said revolted him — so much so, in fact, he refused to ever taste egg yolk, which he found particularly repulsive. “Have you ever seen anything more revolting than an egg yolk breaking and spilling its yellow liquid?” he asked in one interview. (Anyone who’s seen such lesser-known Hitchcock works as Frenzy and Family Plot might say yes, but the point stands.)

Hitchcock never won a competitive Academy Award.

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Despite receiving five Best Director nominations — for “Rebecca,” “Lifeboat,” “Spellbound,” “Rear Window,” and “Psycho” — Hitchcock left each ceremony empty-handed. To make up for it, the Academy presented him with the honorary Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1968.

The breakfast staple wasn’t the filmmaker’s only fear. As fate would have it, Hitchcock was as afraid of his own films as most of his viewers were. “I’m frightened of my own movies,” he said in a 1963 interview. “I never go to see them. I don’t know how people can bear to watch my movies.” So if you’ve yet to muster the courage to watch Psycho, take solace in the fact that Hitchcock himself would understand your reluctance.

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Some snacks are known for their distinctive shapes: Think of Pringles’ classic curve or Ruffles’ ridges. The same goes for Goldfish crackers, which were originally designed as a birthday gift for the creator’s wife, whose astrological sign, Pisces, is symbolically represented by two swimming fish. The idea came about in 1958, when Oscar J. Kambly — head of the Kambly commercial bakery in Switzerland — was looking to surprise his wife on her birthday. He instructed a technician to create a new cracker mold in the shape of a fish, then baked the first-ever Goldfish cracker that afternoon before presenting it to his beloved later that evening.

A 14-year-old boy won a $5 prize for creating Mr. Peanut.

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In 1916, the Planters Nut & Chocolate Company held a contest to design a new mascot. The winning drawing came from 14-year-old Antonio Gentile of Suffolk, Virginia, who was awarded a $5 prize (roughly $144 today) for his sketch of a walking peanut holding a suitcase and cane.

Kambly quickly realized how popular the innovative crackers could be as a mass-produced snack food. He took the product to market under the name Goldfischli, German for “Goldfish.” Within a year, the fish-shaped crackers were being sold in 17 countries. In 1962, American businesswoman Margaret Rudkin — founder of Pepperidge Farm — was on vacation in Switzerland when she came upon Goldfish crackers for the first time. Intrigued by the product, Rudkin struck a deal to acquire the licensing rights and began producing the crackers in the United States. The snack continued to blossom into a global sensation, and Kambly introduced alternate flavors for the first time in 1983. In 1995, the name of the original product was officially changed from Goldfischli to Goldfish.

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