Ice Cream Cones Were Invented by Accident at the 1904 World's Fair

The ice cream cone was born from necessity and cooperation at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Arnold Fornachou, an ice cream vendor, was doing booming business but ran out of bowls and spoons on a particularly hot day. His neighboring vendor, Ernest Hamwi, a Syrian immigrant selling crispy waffles called 'zalabia,' saw his predicament. Hamwi quickly rolled his warm waffles into cone shapes and let them cool and harden. Fornachou could then serve ice cream in these edible containers. The invention was an instant hit with fairgoers, and both vendors profited enormously. Several other vendors at the fair also claimed to have invented the ice cream cone that day, but Hamwi's story is the most documented. This serendipitous collaboration revolutionized how ice cream was served and consumed worldwide.