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- [00:00]
Grainger Advertiser
When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.
- [00:40]
Lindsey Graham
It's May 28, 1897. On a street in Leroy, New York, 23 year old Pearl Waite knocks on a front door and then steps back. He shifts impatiently, eager to make his first sale of the day. A few weeks ago, Pearl stumbled onto a new food product by accident. Intending to make a cough syrup, he mixed gelatin crystals with coloring and flavoring. But when he added hot water and then cooled it, the mixture set into a soft and wobbly solid that tasted great. Pearl called the sweet treat Jello, and he thought he would be a hit with housewives. But so far he's been wrong. He's been hawking it door to door all morning and he's not had a single purchase. The door opens and the cries of a baby float out onto the street. A tired looking housewife in a stained apron stands in the doorway. Pearl flashes her a smile and holds up a paper bag of Jello crystals and launches into his well rehearsed sales paddock. But the housewife just shakes her head. She doesn't understand what he's selling and she's not interested in finding out. The door closes in Pearl's face before he's finished. So with a sigh, he steps off the porch, moves on to the next house. He'll keep trying for now, but he knows if he can't make Jell O pay soon, he'll have to give up on the entire venture. Even as Pearl Waite yet again fails to secure a sale. More than 200 miles away in Washington, D.C. a clerk at the U.S. patent Office is picking up the next paper from a stack on his desk. He scans it, barely pausing, then stamps it. And just like that, it's official. Pearl Weight is now the owner of a trademark for Jell O, but a stamp certificate won't sell a single box. If this strange new dessert is going to become one of the most recognizable brands in America, it will need far more than just the approval the Patent office issued on May 28, 1897. There are still some places left on my European Christmas market tour. A winter wonderland whirlwind throughout France, Germany and Austria. We'll drink mulled wine, eat good food, and visit some of the most consequential historical sites in Europe. I'm really looking forward to it and you can join me, but only if you act quickly. Over half of all available places are already taken. Tickets are on sale now, so reserve your spot. Go to historydaily.com and look for the Christmas market section. That's historydaily.com
- [03:08]
Grainger Advertiser
when you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
- [03:41]
Lindsey Graham
From noiser and airship I'm lindsey graham and this is history daily. History is made every day on this podcast. Every day we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is May 28, 1897 Jell O's trademark. It's September 9, 1899 in the Town hall of LeRoy, New York. Two years after Jell O was trademarked, 49 year old orator Woodward takes a piece of paper handed to him by a clerk and reads it line by line. Beside him, Pearl Waite shifts in his seat. But Orator won't be rushed. He hasn't built a successful business by skimming the fine print. He intends to make sure that this agreement is airtight. Orador has been in the business of selling remedies and medicines for more than two decades. His products include headache tonics and corn plasters and his bestseller is a caffeine free alternative to coffee made from roasted grains. Now he's about to expand into something new. A gelatin. Dessert cooks have used gelatin for years, but the rubbery substance has always been tricky to work with. Only wealthy households with full time kitchen staff were able to spend the time needed to use it in recipes. But that changed a few years ago when a man across town stumbled onto a quick and easy way to turn gelatin into a dessert. That man, Pearl Waite, struggled to make Jell O pay, but Oriter could see its potential. The trouble wasn't the product, it was the man behind it. Pearl was a novice businessman with no idea how to turn his new dessert into a real money making venture. So Orator made an offer to buy Jello for $450, about the same as an average annual salary. And Pearl quickly accepted. So after checking the paperwork once again, Oriter signs his name. He then passes the paper to Pearl, who adds his own signature. And finally, the clerk signs it as a witness. The three men shake hands, and Orator leaves the town hall with a spring in his step. His Genesee Pure food company is now the owner of the Jell O name and recipe. And over the next few months, Oriter sets to work on his new acquisition. He scales up production and expands Jello's reach beyond Leroy New York, distributing it all across the northeast. Using his existing contacts, he gets Jell O into stores that already stock his other products. But despite Oriver's confidence that his business skills will turn Jello around, it proves tougher than he expected. Because soon, hundreds of complaints are rolling in. Customers who have bought Jell O for the first time can't get the gelatin to set after they've added hot water. Even after sitting overnight in the middle of winter, the dessert is still a runny, unappetizing mess. In the morning, Orator has no choice but to refund the unhappy patrons. He then tries to figure out what's gone wrong. He soon discovers the source of the problem. The temperature in his warehouse had plunged below freezing during a recent cold snap, spoiling the jello crystals kept there. So everything he's produced so far has to be dumped. Oreder quickly makes more from scratch, this time keeping the packets of Jell O in more controlled conditions. But even though he's identified why the gelatin went bad, the damage has already been done. Customers who had a poor first experience with Jell O aren't willing to try again. And with few repeat orders, unsold stock starts piling up. By the fall of 1900, Order is considering cutting his losses. He offers to sell his excess Jell O stock, the recipe and the trademark for just $35, less than a tenth of what he paid for it earlier. But even at that price, there are no takers. Orator is stock, so he tries to make the best of it. He relaunches Jell O with an aggressive direct marketing strategy. Salesmen travel from town to town on horse drawn rigs branded with the Jell O name. They drop leaflets at every house explaining what Jell O is and how busy cooks can use it to create a fast, simple, but tasty dessert. They plaster the streets with enormous canvas signs and billboards. Demonstrators hand out samples at church socials and community events. Along with promotional molds and dishes, this new approach works. Housewives begin to embrace Jell O as a convenient time saving option in the kitchen. And many become regular customers. Within two years, Jello is raking in annual revenues in excess of $250,000. And Oriter must double the size of his factory to keep up with demand. But he won't enjoy that success for long. In 1906, just as he reaches the peak of his career, Orator Woodward will die at the age of just 49. But his widow and children will soon discover that Orator's success has caught the eye of other entrepreneurs. And Jell O will soon have competitors eager for their own slice of this wobbly dessert.
- [08:56]
AliExpress Advertiser
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- [09:19]
Grainger Advertiser
When you manage procurement for multiple facilities, every order matters. But when it's for a hospital system, they matter even more. Grainger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for shipping delays. That's why Grainger offers millions of products in fast, dependable delivery so you can keep your facility stocked, safe and running smoothly. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.
- [09:57]
Lindsey Graham
It's 1916 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, ten years after the death of Jell O owner Order Woodward. 40 year old Otis Glidden straightens a stack of envelopes in the corner of his new factory. One catches his eye because it hasn't been taped shut properly. So he opens it up to check the contents before sent to the customer. Still, he can't resist taking out one of the packets inside, proudly smoothing the label of his new product, jiffy gel. Almost 20 years ago, Otis was hired by Orator Woodward to work for the Genesee Pure Food Company in Leroy, New York. There he helped to mix and produce Jell O and became one of the few people who knew the closely guarded recipe. But recently, Otis decided that he'd had enough of working to make someone else rich. So he struck out on his own with his brother. He left Leroy and built a factory in Wisconsin where land is cheaper. They also hope it's far enough from New York that their copycat product won't draw the attention of Jell O's lawyers because Jiffy Gel is Jell O but with a twist. Instead of blending flavor and color into the gelatin crystals, Otis puts the flavoring and coloring into an alcohol solution. He then packages it in sealed glass vials separate from the powder. Customers mix it in themselves when they make the gelatin, and Otis believes this gives Jiffy Gel a bolder flavor than Jell O. And to break into the market, Otis takes out ads in women's magazines. He offers every household a free packet of Jiffy Gel, inviting them to compare it to its more established rival. Soon, Otis factory is overwhelmed as thousands of letters arrive every week requesting a free sample. The feedback is encouraging, too. Customers are impressed, and many claim that Jiffy Gel is indeed tastier than Jell O. But Jiffy Gel hits a bump in the road. In 1920, Prohibition takes effect, banning the manufacture and sale of any products containing alcohol, including Otis dessert. He finds an alternative solution for his flavoring. But it's a volatile concoction that can explode under the right conditions. And soon vials begin bursting on shelves across the country as sticky liquid spills across shop floors and kitchen counters alike. Demand for Jiffy Gel plummets, and the Genesee Pure Food company seizes the opportunity. It buys Jiffy Gel and kills off the brand so it can no longer compete with Jell O. But Jell O itself is soon up for sale, too. In 1925, order Woodward's children decide to cash out. They sell the business that their father founded to the Postum Cereal Company for the vast sum of $67 million. And under this new management, Jell O surges sales more than double in the first year and continue growing even as the Great Depression takes hold in the 1930s. Jell O's low price makes it appealing to households under financial pressure, especially after Postum drops the price from 30 cents to 25. But with growing sales comes bigger ambitions. And in 1934, the company blows three quarters of its annual marketing budget on a sponsoring a radio show. Every Sunday evening at 7pm Comedian Jack Benny takes to the airwaves for the Jello program.
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Jell-O Spelling Segment
J E L L
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Jell-O Program Announcer
the Jello program starring Jack Benny with Mary Livingston and Phil Harrison is orchestra.
- [13:18]
Lindsey Graham
Each week, Jack introduces big band numbers, speaks directly to the audience and shoehorns as many Jell O references into the show as he can. It's one of the most popular radio shows in America, and it sends Jell O sales soaring even higher. Even a world war can't stop the brand's rise. In May 1942. Sugar becomes the first food to be rationed in the United States. But consumers don't need ration stamps to buy Jell O. Company bosses seize the moment, publishing a new book of recipes that are perfect for the wartime restrictions. It encourages housewives to disguise bruised fruit by serving it in Jell O and to revive stale bread by covering it with Jell O. After the war, when rationing ends and the American economy starts to boom, Jell O executives worry that sales may falter. So to keep the momentum going, they recruit another powerful voice. Jell O partners with Lucille Ball to sponsor her radio show, My Favorite Husband, the precursor to the television smash hit I Love Lucy. Lucille Ball kicks off every episode with the cheerful greeting Jell O everybody. And thanks to Jack Benny and Lucille Ball. By the start of the 1950s, Jell O is one of the most recognizable brands in America. But soon it will hit the headlines for a very different reason. Not for its celebrity endorsements, but for its connection to one of the most infamous criminal cases in American history. It's March 1951 in the US District Court in Manhattan, 26 years after Jell O was bought by the Postum cereal company. The courtroom is silent as all eyes are fixed on the witness box where 31 year old David Greenglass stands with a Jello box and a pair of scissors. In a carefully staged moment, he begins slowly cutting a flap off the box. Nine months ago, David was arrested and charged with espionage. Investigators suspected that he was part of a spy ring that supplied the Soviet Union with details of America's atomic bomb technology. And under questioning, David confessed. But he also implicated his sister, Ethel Rosenberg, and her husband, Julius. According to David, they led the conspiracy, not him. Now David is on the stand, testifying against his own family as part of a plea deal. With one final snip of the scissors, a flap falls from the Jello box. David holds it up, then presses it back in place, showing how perfectly it fits. Under gentle questioning, he explains this was Julius Rosenberg's method for verifying messages. Couriers would carry a torn piece of a Jello box, and only if it matched the original kept by Julius would they be trusted. The evidence is striking, but the prosecutor doesn't mention that David's initial interrogation made no mention of this Jello box system. He also ignores the fact that no fragments of Jelloboxes had ever been found in the possession of the accused. Nor has any other witness ever confirmed David's story. Even so, the Jello box theory is apparently convincing enough for the jury and when the trial concludes, the Rosenbergs are found guilty. Two years later, after all their appeals are exhausted, they will be executed for helping prosecutors. David will be spared the same fate. Instead, he'll serve nine and a half years in prison. But in 2001, David will admit that he lied on the stand to save his own life. Perhaps his story was so compelling to the jury in part because of the object at its center. It was not a secret codebook or complex cipher key the Rosenbergs allegedly used. It was a simple jello box found on store shelves across the country. An all American product used to betray America. Product that had risen from humble beginnings to become one of the most recognizable brands in the country after it was trademarked on May 28, 1897. Next on History Daily, May 29, 1945. A sophisticated forgery is unveiled when a Dutch art dealer is arrested for selling priceless paintings to the Nazis. From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily. Hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham Audio editing by Mohammed Shahzi Sound design by Molly Bach Music by Thrum. This episode is written and researched by Scott Reeves. Edited by William Simpson Managing producer, Emily Burke Executive producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.