It's National Ice Cream Month

National Ice Cream Month In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. He recognized ice cream as a fun and nutritious food that is enjoyed by a full 90% of the nation's population. In the proclamation, President Reagan called for all people of the United States to observe these events with "appropriate ceremonies and activities."

Ice Cream Fun Facts Vanilla is the #1 selling flavor. Chocolate syrup is the favorite topping to put on ice cream. The major ingredient in ice cream is air. It takes approximately 50 licks to finish off a scoop of ice cream. The United States is the top ice cream consuming country in the world. According to the Guinness the largest ice cream pyramid was made in August of 2002. The pyramid had 3,894 scoops, totaled 22 layers and weighed 1,005 pounds. The pyramid was 53 inches high. The largest ice cream cake weighed in at 12,096 pounds. The history of ice cream dates back to the second century B.C.! Many believe that it was invented in China. Nero used to send slaves to the mountains around 62 A.D. to bring fresh snow to the royal kitchens. This snow was then flavored with fruits and juices to make flavored ice. In 1812 the first lady, Dolley Madison, served ice cream at the second inaugural ball. In 1845 the hand-cranked ice cream freezer was invented. It takes 12 lbs. of milk to make a gallon of ice cream. The ice cream cone was invented in 1896 with a patent being issued in 1903 to Italo Marchiony. The widespread use of ice cream cones occurred after its introduction at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 and many credit this as the birth of the ice cream cone. So just like the birth of ice cream, nobody knows for sure when the cone really was invented.