October 10 is:
National Angel Food Cake Day
Angel food cake is a type of sponge cake that is originated in the United States.
It is named because of the cake’s lightness that was said to be the “food of the angels”.
Angel food cakes are a traditional African-American favorite for post-funeral meals.
Angel food cake requires egg whites whipped until they are stiff, Cream of tartar is added to the mixture to stabilize the egg whites.
A variety of chocolate cake known as Devil’s food cake, is considered as Angel food’s “counterpart”.
Birthday of Giuseppe Verdi (October 10, 1813), Italian operatic composer famous for “Aida”, “Rigoletto”, “Il Travatore”, and “La Traviata”.
Anniversary of the founding of the United States Naval Academy in 1845 at Annapolis, Maryland.
From Today in Science
Panama Canal
In 1913, the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans commingled in the Panama Canal after U.S. engineers blew up the Gamboa Dam. By the summer of 1913, the locks and the Culebra Cut (culebra means snake) had been finished. The struggle to dig the Culebra Cut had lasted seven years. On 26 Sept. water was first turned into the locks. On 10 Oct., President Woodrow Wilson pressed a button in Washington that carried a signal by telegraph to Panama. When received a minute later, a dynamite charge was ignited that blew a hole in the Gamboa Dike and water began to fill the Culebra Cut. This act also marked the final stage in the creation of Lake Gatun, 85 ft above sea level, the largest man-made lake at that time.
From Today in Science
Vinyl
In 1933, a U.S. patent was issued to Waldo L. Semon for a method of making plasticized PVC, now known simply as vinyl. The patent was titled “Synthetic Rubber-like Composition and Method of Making Same” (U.S. No. 1,929,453). As originally known, PVC— polyvinyl chloride—was a polymer that was hard and difficult to form into useful articles. Semon had invented a way to make it in a rubber-like form. … The patent listed uses such as water-proof boots or shoes, insulating coatings and resilient flooring material.
From Today in Science
Dreft detergent
In 1933, Dreft, the first detergent with synthetic surfactants for home use was marketed by Procter & Gamble. Soap had been used to clean clothes for nearly 2,000 years, but had poor perfomance in hard water. In the 1920s, P&G researchers created special two-part “miracle molecules,” one end of which pulled grease and dirt out of clothes while the other clung to water, suspending dirt until it could be washed away. … Dreft eliminated the problems associated with soap, and gently cleaned lightly soiled clothes. The discovery of detergent technology began a revolution in cleaning technology.
1935 – The “Porgy and Bess” opera opened on Broadway. It was written by American composer, George Gershwin. Some of the most popular songs are:
- Summertime
- I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin
- Bess, You is my woman now
- It Ain’t Necessarily So”