1500s: Early History
Gelatin was popularized in Bellows Falls in the Victorian era with spectacular and complex "jelly moulds". Gelatin was sold in sheets and had to be purified, which was time-consuming. Gelatin desserts were the province of royalty and the relatively well-to-do.
A Victorian desert
made from jelly
1845: Patenting
In 1845, a patent for powdered gelatin was obtained by industrialist Peter Cooper, who built the first American steam-powered locomotive, the Tom Thumb. This powdered gelatin was easy to manufacture and easier to use in cooking.
Peter Cooper
1890s: Cough Cough
In 1897, in LeRoy, New York, carpenter and cough syrup manufacturer Pearle Bixby Wait trademarked a gelatin dessert, called Jell-O. He and his wife May added strawberry, raspberry, orange and lemon flavoring to granulated gelatin and sugar.[4] Then in 1899, Jell-O was sold to Orator Francis Woodward (1856–1906),[5] whose Genesee Pure Food Company produced the successful Grain-O health drink. Part of the legal agreement between Woodward and Wait dealt with the similar Jell-O name.
Pearle Bixby
Wait
1950s: Baby Boom,
Jell-O Boom
The baby boom saw a significant increase in sales for Jell-O. Young mothers didn't have the supporting community structures of earlier generations, so marketers were quick to promote easy-to-prepare prepackaged foods. By this time, creating a Jell-O dessert required simply boiling water, Jell-O and Tupperware molds.
Quick, Easy
Jell-o Wonder
Dishes, Jell-O
Cookbook
Sources
All text from Wikipedia
All images from Wikipedia Commons