9 Short Histories of Everyday Items

These products all have interesting histories!

6) Ben & Jerry’s

The iconic ice cream company was initially going to be a bagel shop. But when founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, found out how much the equipment was going to cost they quickly decided to make something cheaper and took a mail-order course in ice cream making instead.

Via/ Flickr

5) Legal Pads

No one knows exactly why legal pads are yellow! The pads were initially made from scraps of paper reused, thereby making a profit from what was essentially waste. While there is a theory that the paper was dyed yellow to hide the the fact that it was scrap, this would have increased the cost of manufacture. Regardless of why, we can’t imagine them any other color now!

Via/ Flickr

4) Hawaiian Punch

The drink we all loved so well as kids actually started out as an ice cream topping in the 1930s. By the 1940s customers were diluting the flavored syrup with water to make their own custom drinks. But, it wasn’t until 1946 that the company began selling their signature drink which is still wildly popular today.

Via/ Shutterstock

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