April 6: Happy Birthday, Twinkie!!

On this date in history .... April 6, 1930:  

Twinkies were invented by James Dewar who worked as a baker for the Continental Baking Co (later to be renamed Hostess). Dewar noticed the machines that made strawberry filled cakes were dormant during the berry off season, he used the lady-finger shaped machines to create a snack cake filled with banana cream.  

During WWII, bananas were rationed and the company switched to vanilla cream, which became so popular the banana filling was not re-introduced.   Bananas were in short supply, not because of a crop failure but because transportation priority was given to the war effort and space on ships and railroad cars was limited.

Twinkees became part of pop culture in movies and TV shows.  Archie Bunker, for example, never left for work without a Twinkie in his lunchbox!

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