Thursday, June 25, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“The catfish is a plenty good enough fish for anyone.” Mark Twain (1835-1910) FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• National Catfish Day (see 1987 below) (Catfish Trivia & Facts -- Catfish Recipes) • National Goats Cheese Day [1998 American Cheese Society] • National Strawberry Parfait Day (Strawberry Trivia) • [National Pollinator Week] (June 22-28, 2026) Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible for bringing us one out of every three bites of food. • UK: English Wine Week (June 20-28, 2026) [Wines of Great Britain] TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1630 Massachusetts Bay colony governor John Winthrop supposedly introduced the fork to American dining. (Fork Trivia and Facts --- Fork Quotes) 1788 The Commonwealth of Virginia ratified the Constitution and became the 10th state of the United States of America. (Virginia Food Trivia) 1799 David Douglas was born (died July 12, 1834). A Scottish botanist, he collected plants in Scotland, North America and Hawaii. The Douglas Fir is named for him. 1844 John Tyler, 10th U.S. President, married Julia Gardner, the first president to marry while in office. This was his second marriage, his first wife Letitia Christian died of a stroke in the White House in 1842. He fathered more children than any other U.S. president (15); eight children with Letitia and seven children with his second wife Julia. 1867 Lucien B. Smith of Kent, Ohio received U.S. patent No. 66,182 for barbed wire. (One of many patents for barbed wire.) See also Nov 24, 1874. (Barbed Wire Trivia) 1938 The new Federal minimum wage law guaranteed workers 40¢ per hour. 1951 On the CBS network Pabst aired the 1st color Beer Commercial on the first commercial color TV program. The public did not own any color TV's, and CBS only owned about 3 dozen color TV sets! The hour long variety show was shown in department stores, hotels and auditoriums in 5 cities, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington D.C. 1956 Anthony Bourdain was born (died June 8, 2018). Influential American celebrity chef, author ('Kitchen Confidential') and culinary traveler. Host of 'A Cook's Tour', 'Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations' and 'Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown'. He died of an apparent suicide. 1971 Sir John Boyd Orr died. A Scottish scientist and nutrition expert, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to eliminate world hunger. 1974 The first checkout scanner was installed in a supermarket. 1987 President Ronald Reagan officially proclaimed June 25 as National Catfish Day. (Proclamation) 1994 The London Times reported a previously unknown species of mammal was discovered in Vietnam, the Vu Quang Ox. It was the first discovery of a new large mammal since the Okapi in 1910. The ox is thought to inhabit an area along the Vietnam-Laos border. 1997 Jacques-Yves Cousteau died. Ocean explorer, marine biologist. Co-inventor of the aqualung. 2004 The last elevated train in Boston made its final run. 2020 Coronavirus: New York City Marathon in November canceled; McDonald's iconic NYC Times Square restaurant closes for good; Grocery prices continue to rise. ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** June 19-July 12, 2026 Alameda County Fair Alameda County Fairgrounds, California June 24-27, 2026 52nd Annual Bixby Green Corn Festival - Bixby, Oklahoma June 25-28, 2026 Placer County Fair Roseville, California June 25-28, 2026 Luling Watermelon Thump Luling, Texas June 26, 2026 Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off Monroe, Louisiana June 26-27, 2026 The Great Lenexa Barbeque Battle Lenexa, Kansas June 26-27, 2026 Annual Cheese Curd Festival Ellsworth, Wisconsin (SEE ALL FOOD FESTIVALS and OTHER FOOD EVENTS) ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** FOOD TRIVIA QUIZ (new DAILY questions)1) All of the following events took place in the same year. What year is it? · Heinz Tomato Soup went on sale in the UK for first time. · The population of the U.S. is now 92,228,496. Farmers are 31% of the labor force. · The Earth passed through the tail of Halley's Comet and nothing happened. · Ward Baking Company of Chicago, Illinois opened the first completely automated bread plant in the U.S. Untouched by human hands. · Cellophane was invented by Jacques Brandenberger, a Swiss chemist 2) How did the alligator pear get its name and what is the other common name for it? 3) How much feed does it take to produce a dozen eggs? 4) What country has more varieties of crabs than anywhere else in the world? Click Here for Today’s Quiz Answers ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Read an article about Chef James and the FoodReference.com website published in the Winona Daily News, Minneapolis StarTribune, and numerous other newspapers: Click here for the Article ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Dedication This website is dedicated to: · Gladys Ehler, my mother, who taught me patience and how to make Sauerbraten (it is still my favorite) · Edward Ehler, my father, who taught me a love of books and history. · Barbara Saba, my sister, who taught me how to dance. · Cpl. Thomas E. Saba, my nephew. Died in action on Feb. 7, 2007 in Iraq. He was 30 yrs. young. Chef James TOP |