National Waffle Day – August 24th.

Did you celebrate National Waffle Day yesterday?  According to this article at Time.com, August  24th is recognized as National Waffle Day because it is the anniversary of the first U.S. patent on the waffle iron.

Apparently, the first U.S. patent on the waffle iron is U.S. Pat. No. 94,043, a downloadable pdf of which is available here.  The patent issued to Cornelius Swartwout of Troy, New York, and describes both an “Improvement in Waffle-Irons” and the operation of the same.  The single patent claim reads as follows:

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is—

The handle M, with the connecting-rod N, or its equivalent, and the device P, or its equivalent, arranged so as to loop or hook over the lug S, or any equivalent thereto, and forming rivets through the ears K and L, substantially in the manner and for the purposes as described and set forth.

JW Note:  The Ward family celebrated National Waffle Day in grand style, including home-made waffles with blueberries and whipped cream!   Inventions can be delicious!