The greatest thing since sliced bread 🍞

and how do you score on Absurd Trolley Problems?

Jul 8

an image of bread that has been cut into slices

"It's the greatest thing since sliced bread!" - a saying we've all heard about a new invention that promises to have a huge impact on our lives. But did you know sliced bread was invented 94 years ago this week?

Sliced bread is a loaf of bread that has been pre-sliced with a machine and packaged for convenience, as opposed to the consumer cutting it with a bread knife. It was first sold in 1928, advertised as "the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped". By 1933, around 80% of bread sold in the US was pre-sliced, leading to the popular idiom "greatest thing since sliced bread".

As commercially sliced bread resulted in uniform and somewhat thinner slices, people ate more slices of bread at a time. They also ate bread more frequently, because of the ease of getting and eating another piece of bread. This increased consumption of bread and, in turn, increased consumption of spreads, such as jam, to put on the bread. (Wikipedia)

Although sometimes used sarcastically, typically the notion is used earnestly. A writer for the Kansas City Star wrote, "The phrase is the ultimate depiction of innovative achievement and American know-how."

There have been plenty of powerful inventions in the last century since its invention – including the dishwasher, the computer, the internet, vaccines, and The Snuggie (of course). I also happen to love my AirPods, my Jeep’s vehicle reverse backup radar system, and the Taco Bell Doritos Locos Taco.

What are your favorite inventions that are the greatest thing since sliced bread? Leave a comment here 👇🏻