July 7, 1928: Sliced Bread

July 7, 1928: The Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri, sells something for the first time, something never before sold by anyone: Sliced bread.

Otto Rohwedder of Davenport, Iowa, invented the 1st single loaf bread-slicing machine in 1912. But his prototype was destroyed in a fire. It would take until 1928 before he was ready to try again, and he sold his machine to Chillicothe Baking. They advertised their product as "Kleen Maid Sliced Bread."

Gustav Papendick, a baker in St. Louis, bought Rohwedder's next slicer, and improved it by placing the slices on a cardboard tray. This allowed him to keep the slices together long enough to allow the loaves to be wrapped, making for easier packaging and selling. By 1930, Wonder Bread was marketing sliced bread nationwide.

In the Bible, Deuteronomy 8:3 says, "Man doth not live by bread only." In Matthew 4:4, Jesus worded it as, "Man shall not live by bread alone." But man does seem to prefer his bread sliced: By 1958, 80 percent of the world's bread was pre-sliced.

So the next time you hear the old line that something is "the greatest thing since sliced bread," remember that, if it debuted before the Summer of 1928, that sliced bread could be the greatest thing since it.

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July 7, 1928 was a Saturday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees swept a doubleheader from the St. Louis Browns at Yankee Stadium. They won the opener, 6-5. Earle Combs went 4-for-5 with an RBI, in support of George Pipgras. The Yanks won the nightcap, 1-0. The only run of the game came in the 6th inning, when Babe Ruth doubled and Lou Gehrig singled him home. Waite Hoyt went the distance for the shutout, allowing 7 hits.

* The New York Giants lost a doubleheader at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Pirates beat them, 8-6 and 5-2. Between them, the Waner brothers, Paul and Lloyd, went 9-for-17 with 3 RBIs against the Giants. Bill Terry went 3-for-8. Mel Ott went 1-for-8 with a walk.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers -- then still known as the Brooklyn Robins, under manager Wilbert Robinson -- split a doubleheader with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Robins won the 1st game, 5-3. The Cubs won the 2nd game, 6-2.

* Fans at Fenway Park in Boston got 22 innings for their money, but they also got swept. In the 1st game, the Detroit Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox, 20-8, including 10 runs in the 5th inning. And yet, none of those 20 runs came on home runs. Harry Rice went 3-for-5 with 5 RBIs. Charlie Gehringer, Jack Warner (not the film studio head), Al Wingo and Pinky Hargrave also got 3 hits each. Doug Tatt went 4-for-4 with an RBI for the Red Sox, and Bill Regan hit a home run, to no avail.

The Tigers won the 2nd game, 4-3. In the top of the 13th inning, an error by Billy Rogell (whom the Tigers would later acquire in what turned out to be a good move), a single by Bob Fothergill (a good hitter and a decent runner despite his well-earned nickname of "Fats"), a walk by Wingo, and a sacrifice fly by William "Pinky" Hargrave gave the Tigers the win.

* A doubleheader was split at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The Cleveland Indians won the 1st game, 2-1. The Philadelphia Athletics won the 2nd game, 6-2. Ty Cobb, in his final season after a long and great career with the Tigers, went 1-for-7 with a walk and an RBI for the A's over the 2 games. Tris Speaker, also in his final season after a nearly as long and nearly as great career with the Red Sox and the Indians, did not play for the A's in either game. Nor did Jimmie Foxx. Mickey Cochrane went 1-for-4 with 3 walks and an RBI.

* The Washington Senators beat the Chicago White Sox, 9-1 at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5 at Redland Field in Cincinnati. (It was renamed Crosley Field in 1934.)

* And the Boston Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 11-3 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Rogers Hornsby, only 2 years ago leading the Cardinals to win the World Series as slugger, 2nd baseman and manager, went 3-for-5 with an RBI against them for the Braves.