Overview
About the event
The history of the root beer float is obviously predicated on the invention of root beer as well as the creation of vanilla ice cream! These two most important parts make up the incredible whole that is the beloved and delicious root beer float.
Root beer was originally made from sassafras or sarsaparilla, making its commercial debut in 1876 at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Root beer was originally sold as a health agent for its medicinal benefits but eventually morphed into a soft drink in the early 20th century.
Ice cream has roots that can be traced back in the US to early colonial days when founding father, Thomas Jefferson, wrote his own recipe for vanilla ice cream that is still housed at the Library of Congress today.
But the combination of the two elements, root beer and vanilla ice cream, are typically attributed to a gentleman named Frank Wisner who created the first root beer float towards the end of the 19th century.
