Chicago Proud: A city of doers, thinkers and history makers

Chicago is not only a city of big shoulders but a city of big thinkers and doers as well.  An astounding number of iconic products, businesses and inventions all had their start right here in the Windy City. From its early beginnings, the city has been built by hardy, clever stock starting with the arrival of French explorers, missionaries and fur traders in the late 17th century and through to the World War I era when the Great Migration began. Even the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 couldn't dampen the enthusiasm for creativity as the city became the dominant Midwestern center for manufacturing, commerce and culture. Legendary companies such as Marshall Field's, Eli's Cheesecake, Bay's English Muffins, Land's End, Morton Salt and Cracker Jack had their start here. Let's take a look at a few of the many ideas born here that make us Chicago Proud. Some will definitely surprise you. 

Original Rainbow Cone (photo by @ExtraNoodles via Insta)

"Grandpa Joe" Sapp was just a kid when he discovered his love for ice cream. As an orphan on an Ohio work farm, Joe never lived a life of luxury but that never stopped him from scraping his pennies together for a scoop of ice cream now and again. Many years later, he was able to make his dream come true. While working as a mechanic for Buick, he opened his own ice cream stand at 92nd St. and Western Avenue in Chicago and cobbled together a collection of flavors that suited his taste buds and the Rainbow Cone was born. For 95 years now, ice cream lovers have flocked to the Original Rainbow Cone which consists of five distinct flavors: chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (New York vanilla with cherries and walnuts), pistachio and orange sherbet. Today, this much coveted treat can be savored at the original location (9233 S. Western Ave.), at Navy Pier, via an ice cream truck and, most recently, through a new collaboration with Buona Beef, in Darien, Il. at 7417 S. Cass Ave.

The Morton Salt Company was created here in 1848 as a small sales agency (E. I Wheeler) which was later incorporated as the Morton Salt Company and named after the founder Joy Morton. The purchase coincided with the post-Civil War expansion of the city’s meatpacking industry, which preserved excess meat by packing it in salt. Another major benefit for Morton was a discovery of salt deposits in nearby Michigan, allowing the company to produce its own supply. The Morton Arboretum was dedicated by Morton's son in honor of his father. 

The spongy yellow cake snack, Twinkies, was created by a baker for the Continental Baking Company in Schiller Park in 1930. James Dewar came across a billboard for Twinkle Toe Shoes and the name stuck for his sweet treat. The first Twinkies were filled with banana cream. In 1980, Twinkies sold at about 1 billion a year. 

Cracker Jack was one of the many inventions introduced at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. German immigrant Frederick William Rueckheim and his brother debuted their candied popcorn mixed with peanuts at the expo and it was an instant hit. In 1912, the company started selling the product with small prizes inside the boxes. Today, the brand is owned by Frito Lay. 

Gum is not a new product — in fact, it's been around for thousands of years — but the multi-flavored varieties like Juicy Fruit Gum that we know today can be traced to William Wrigley, Jr. who established the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in Chicago in 1891. He was originally a soap and baking powder salesman, and to move products he would include a pack of chewing gum with every sale. This was so popular that he decided to focus solely on gum and went on to create a variety of flavors including Spearmint, Juicy Fruit and Doublemint gums. 

Brownies, believe it or not, is also a Chicago invention that can be attributed to Bertha Palmer, wife of millionaire hotelier Potter Palmer. In 1893, Bertha was searching for a treat to serve at the World's Fair that was smaller than a cake but still had cake-like qualities to make it suitable for lunch boxes. It first appeared in a catalog in 1898, made with semi-sweet chocolate, crushed walnuts and topped with apricot glaze. 

Bay's English Muffins were created at a bakery in Chicago's Loop in 1934. George Bay used a recipe his English grandmother brought to the U.S. in the 1800s. Sold by the dozen in brown paper bags, the muffins were hand-delivered to restaurants, hotels and private clubs. 

Radio Flyer, that iconic red children's wagon, was born in a one-room workshop on Chicago's West Side. Antonio Pasin, an Italian immigrant, was a cabinet maker who loved to tinker. He named his first wooden wagon "Liberty Coaster" in honor of the statue that welcomed him to America. In 1917, the Radio Flyer Company was founded. 

Garrett's Popcorn, with its addictive selections of gourmet popcorn mixed with nuts, was first created in Chicago in 1949 by a female entrepreneur who developed the now famous recipes in her family kitchen. Today, it has shops in nine countries, corporate offices in Chicago, Singapore and Tokyo and an online store. The first store was at 10 West Madison.

The Pullman neighborhood was home to Jay's Food Inc., which started there in 1927. Founded by Leonard Japp, the company was originally named Mrs. Japp's Chips, but was changed to Jay's in 1941 due to a negative connotation toward the word Jap following anti-Japanese sentiment during WWII. The factory was located on 99th Street and created Jay's Potato Chips as well as O-Ke-Doke popcorn. The brand is still preserved by the Snyder Lance company, which purchased the brand in 2007. 

Eli's Cheesecake made its public debut at the first Taste of Chicago in 1980. It was created by celebrity restaurateur Eli M. Schulman at his iconic Eli's the Place for Steak restaurant, which opened in 1966. He wanted to make cheesecake his signature dessert at the restaurant so he came up with a rich and creamy recipe, instantly identifiable to its many fans. The company is now run by his son Marc Schulman, who is president.  

These are just a few of the legendary businesses, products and inventions that give us Chicagoans bragging rights. 

Other made-in-Chicago surprises include the Ferris Wheel (which debuted at the 1893 Columbian Exposition by George Ferris), Marshall Field's ( founded in 1852, and became Macy's in 2006); Walgreens (began in 1901 as a small food store on the corner of Bowen and Cottage Grove by Charles R. Walgreen); farm silos (first built in 1873 by Fred Hatch of McHenry County, who knew?); soap operas (conceived in 1930 by former Chicago teacher Irna Phillips who was known as the "Queen of the Soaps." She went on to develop such long-running favorites such as "Guiding Light" and "As the World Turns"); mechanical dishwashers (built in 1886 by Josephine Cochrane with help from mechanic George Butters. It debuted at the World's Fair winning the award for "Best Mechanical Construction" ); wireless remote controls (developed by Eugene Polley for Zenith Radio Company in 1950 and dubbed the "Flash-Matic"); the zipper (again, this product first debuted at the World's Fair, created by Chicagoan Whitcomb L. Judson, and introduced as a "clasp locker"); vacuum cleaner (born in the basement of Chicago inventor Ive W. McGaffey in 1869, the first were made of wood and canvas and called the "Whirlwind"); blood bank (invented by Chicago physician Bernard Fantus at Cook County Hospital in 1937); Land's End (began as a mail-order yachting company founded by Gary Comer in Chicago in 1963) and deep dish pizza (developed by Ike Sewell at his Pizzeria Uno restaurant in Chicago in 1943). 

Companies founded in Chicago include Motorola Solutions, Caterpillar Inc., Exelon, Abbott Labs, W.W. Grainger, Sears & Roebuck, AON, McDonald's, United Airlines, John Deere, State Farm, Kraft Heinz, Crate & Barrel, Dominick's, Discover Card, Allstate, Archer Daniels Midland, Walgreens and many more.

And, to think, these are just a few of the many products, companies and inventions created, developed, born and nurtured right here in our fabulous city. Chicago truly is the city of doers, thinkers and history makers. (First published Aug. 27, 2021)