In the 1950s, Americans were looking for ways to spend less time in the kitchen. Generations of home cooks, the overwhelming majority of them women, had made food preparation the focus of their day; historians estimate that in 1900, an average household spent 58 hours per week on housework. But a few decades later, postwar innovations such as affordable appliances created more free time — and so did a new wave of commercially prepared and processed foods, an emerging industry fueled by scientists such as William A. Mitchell. While Mitchell’s name isn’t widely known today, his most popular inventions are major name brands, including Cool Whip, Pop Rocks, and Tang.
Growing up in Minnesota, Mitchell spent his teenage years as a farmhand and carpenter, working to fund his college tuition. The future inventor ventured into food production a few years after graduation, chemistry degree in hand; he worked at Eastman Kodak creating chemical developers for color film, as well as at an agricultural lab. He then went to work at General Foods in 1941, contributing to the war effort by creating a tapioca substitute for soldier rations. (Overseas, GIs renamed the gelatin and starch blend “Mitchell’s Mud.”) The postwar years saw Mitchell churn out a few flops, such as carbonated ice, as well as multiple now-iconic hits. In 1956, his quest to create a self-carbonating soda led to the accidental invention of Pop Rocks. A year later, he developed Tang Flavor Crystals, which skyrocketed to popularity after NASA used the powder in space to remedy astronauts’ metallic-tasting water. And by the time he had retired from General Foods in 1976, Mitchell had developed a quick-set gelatin, powdered egg whites, and a whipped cream alternative — the beloved Cool Whip that now dominates grocery store freezers.
THINK TWICE: Pop Rocks were briefly discontinued because of safety concerns stemming from a notorious urban legend.
Pop Rocks are a totally rad treat of the 1980s, but the candy’s first release in the 1970s was a dud. General Foods initially released the candy in 1975, hoping to capitalize on its innovative appeal. But soon after the confection hit stores, rumors began to spread that it was dangerous, even deadly — supposedly, the carbon dioxide that caused the miniature explosions could mix with carbonated soda and cause children’s stomachs to explode. General Foods and inventor William Mitchell tried to combat the unfounded stories with newspaper ads, a telephone hotline, and by sending letters to 50,000 school principals around the U.S. But amid persistent rumors and slumping sales, General Foods stopped marketing the candy and sold the brand to Kraft in 1985, who marketed it as “Action Candy” — though today’s sweet tooths can once again find the candy under its original name.