What We Need To Know About Ice Cream

During 1984, President Reagan proclaimed National Ice Cream Day.

“The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 298, has designated July 1984 as “National Ice Cream Month,” and July 15, 1984, as “National Ice Cream Day,” and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of these events.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim July 1984 as National Ice Cream Month and July 15, 1984, as National Ice Cream Day, and I call upon the people of the United States to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

However, our ice cream story starts long before 1984 (and National Ice Cream Day became the third Sunday in July.).

Ice Cream History

We could begin with a George Washington dinner party. During the 18th century, when almost no one had ever heard of ice cream, Washington served it at his “soirees.” We do know that he had ice cream making equipment that included “2 Iceries Complete,” 12 “Ice Plates,” and 36 “ice pots.”

Next, U.S. ice cream history takes us to Thomas Jefferson and his ice cream recipe. The easy part was the ingredients: According to the Washington Post, his chef used six egg yolks, a half-pound of sugar, two bottles of “good” cream, and one vanilla bean. Then, he needed some “muscle” for an 18-step “arduous” process and Jefferson’s ice houses for storing it.

Other milestones include Dolley Madison serving ice cream at her husband’s second inaugural ball and the first ice cream cone at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

Our Bottom Line: Ice Cream Consumption

However, as economists, we should also look at ice cream consumption.

Below, you can see that individuals in higher income countries consumed the most ice cream:

But when you look at total revenue from ice cream, China leads the list:

And finally, if you wonder (as did I) about the most popular flavors, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) had the answers:

My sources and more: For starters, this Washington Post article had an overview of ice cream history. But for the numbers, we looked at McKinsey, Statista, the IDFA, and Mintel. Then, to conclude with some fun, you might check these Ben &Jerry’s flavors.