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In abstract, soda and ice cream shouldn’t go together. While both are delicious sugary treats perfect for a hot day, something about putting frozen cream into fizzy liquid doesn’t make sense on paper.
And yet, in the middle of the summer of 1874, a marble soda fountain operator named Robert Green had a vision. According to Eric Berley, owner of the Franklin Fountain, Green was at a confectionery on a hot day where he saw patrons drinking soda and eating ice cream when he had an epiphany.
“He literally combined them in his brain,” Berley said. “He said, ‘Why don’t we put ice cream and soda together?’”
Like rice crispies and marshmallows or fries dipped in a milkshake, ice cream and soda just makes sense. Green debuted his new idea at the Franklin Institute’s semicentennial celebration.
“It was at that fair where the first ice cream soda debuted,” Berley explained. “The public was so shocked that soda and ice cream would bubble up together and create this sort of third experience.”
Two years later, Philadelphia hosted its big Centennial Exposition in 1876. People traveled around the country and got to try their very first ice cream float.
“That’s where it blew up nationwide,” Berley said.
Back in the 1870s, soda flavors were often fruit-forward, like lemon, orange or strawberry. Still, it was around this time that the most iconic float flavor, root beer, was being created.
“Root beer was basically being worked out in the 1870s by Charles Hires on our block on Letitia Street, which was another Philadelphia first,” Berley said, “It was, of course, a Native American drink called root tea before Hires basically branded it root beer and then popularized it for soda fountains to have.”
The first ice cream float is getting highlighted in the city’s ongoing Firstival celebration this weekend. The Franklin Fountain is hosting an ice cream party this Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with music, fun and of course ice cream sodas.
“We’ve got a live jazz band. It’s a four-piece 1920s hot jazz from Drew Nugent & The Midnight Society,” Berley said. “There’s going to be free root beer floats at Franklin Fountain. There’s going to be free merch all afternoon.”
Roselyn Dooley is a local muralist, scenic artist, and designer, who painted a number one statue, for the 250 celebration.
“I really wanted to bring you back to a feeling of childhood enjoyment,” Dooley said. “I wanted to bring back some kind of colors and views of an old time parlor ice cream parlor shop, and I thought that would be fun.”
Berley encourages locals to come to the Franklin Fountain beyond tomorrow’s Firstival and continue experimenting with different floats.
“Every new ice cream float is worth trying,” Berley said. “I just had this honeycomb piece with the lavender soda. Great! Someone on the staff made a pineapple upside down ice cream float the other day — throwing in some pineapple topping in there. You can really have fun.”
Check out BP’s full guide to all of this year’s Firstivals below.
Completed
Week 1: Successful balloon flight in America (1793)
Week 2: The Mummers parade, the nation’s first folk parade (1901)
Week 3: Volunteer fire company (1736)
Week 4: Professional basketball league (1898)
Week 5: Public Girl Scout cookie sale (1932)
Week 6: African Methodist Episcopal congregation (1794)
Week 7: Abolitionist society in America (1775)
Week 8: Authentic Chinese gate built in America (1984)
Week 9: Public protest against slavery in America (1688)
Week 10: Flower Show (1829)
Week 11: Women’s medical college (1850)
Week 12: Matchbook (1892)
Week 13: Medical school (1765)
Week 14: Stadium (1895)
Week 15: Circus performance (1793)
Week 16: Botanical garden (1728)
Week 17: Postmaster (1737)
Week 18: American-made piano and sousaphone (1775 and 1893)
Week 19: Mother’s Day (1908)
Week 20: Hospital in America (1751)
Week 21: World’s Fair on American soil (1876)
Week 22: Steamboat for passengers and freight (1787)
Week 23: American flag (1777)
Week 24: U.S. Army (1775)
Week 25: Annual Reminder demonstration (1965)
Week 26: Paper maker in America (1690)
Week 27: Bank of the United States (1791)
Week 28: Organized baseball team (1831)
Upcoming
• Ice cream soda (Oct. 1874)
July 18, Franklin Fountain, 116 Market St.
• American art school (1805)
July 25, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118-128 N. Broad St.
• Scientific Society of Natural History (1812)
Aug. 1, at Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• Zoo in America (1874)
Aug. 8, Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Ave.
• U.S. Mint (1793)
Aug. 15 (location TBD)
• Selfie (1839)
Aug. 22, Love Park, 1501 John F Kennedy Blvd.
• Slinky (1943)
Aug. 29, Philadelphia Art Museum, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• Signing of the Constitution (1787)
Sept. 5, National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St.
• Continental Congress (1774)
Sept. 12 at Carpenters’ Hall, 320 Chestnut St.
• Naming of the United States (1776)
Sept. 19, Independence Hall
• Ronald McDonald House (1974)
Sept. 26, Ronald McDonald House, 3925 Chestnut St.
• Penitentiary in America (1829)
Oct. 3, Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Ave.
• The First Peoples
Oct. 10, Penn Museum, 3260 South St.
• U.S. Navy and Marine Corps (1775)
Oct. 17, Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St.
• Public showing of a motion picture (1870)
Oct. 24, Philadelphia Film Society, 1412 Chestnut St.
• Modern detective story written (1841)
Oct. 31, Edgar Allan Poe House, 532 N. 7th St.
• Thanksgiving Day parade in America (1920)
Nov. 7, Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• University in America (1740)
Nov. 14, Houston Hall, The University of Pennsylvania, 3417 Spruce St.
• Children’s hospital in America (1855)
Nov. 21, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Main Building, 3401 Civic Center Blvd.
• Pencil with an attached eraser (1858)
Nov. 28, National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut St.
• Weather bureau (1870)
Dec. 5, The Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St.
• Electronic computer (1945)
Dec. 12, The University of Pennsylvania, 3451 Walnut St.
• Public lending library in America (1731)
Dec. 19, The Library Company of Philadelphia, 1314 Locust St.
• Philly food firsts: Cheesesteaks (1930s), water ice (1932) and bubble gum (1928)
Dec. 26, Reading Terminal Market, 1136 Arch St.
Editor’s note: WHYY President and CEO Bill Marrazzo serves as chair of the board of trustees for the Independence Historical Trust.
