DAILY DIRT: Believe it or not, stuffed crust pizza and cookie dough ice cream have not been around forever

Daily Dirt for Sunday, Nov. 25, 2024

I don’t think I have ever had turkey bacon, unless I unknowingly ate some via stuffed crust pizza … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,122 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Strange as it may seem, it was not that many years ago the following foods did not even exist. Where would we be today without these items:

Stuffed crust pizza. Pizza Hut claims it was first to introduce this delicacy in 1995, but was later sued by a guy named Anthony Mongiello, who claimed he had the idea back in 1987.

Microwave popcorn. General Mills patented the first design in 1981. It became commercially available in 1983.

Cookie dough ice cream. Ben and Jerry’s invented this treat in 1984. The idea for it came from a suggestion from a customer and was eventually mass produced in 1991.

String cheese. Surprisingly, this snack actually became a reality way back in 1976.

Turkey bacon. Invented in 1991, it quickly became popular as a low-fat bacon substitute.

2. Did you know (Part 196)

That these iconic songs turned 40 years old in 2024: “99 Luftballoons by Nena” (the best version, by far, is the German), “Rock You Like A Hurricane,” by Scorpions, “Radio Gaga” by Queen, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” by Wham!, “Freeway of Love,” by Aretha Franklin, “Jump” by Van Halen, “We Built This City,” by Starship, “Walk Of Life” by Dire Straits, “When Doves Cry” by Prince, “Karma Chameleon” by Culture Club and “Nightshift” by the Commodores.

That these equally iconic tunes are 45 years old in 2024: “Heart of Glass” by Blondie, “This Thing Called Love” by Queen, “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” by Charlie Daniels, “Rock And Roll Fantasy” by Bad Company, “Good Ole Boys” by Waylon Jennings, “All Of My Love” by Led Zeppelin, “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer and “My Sharona” by the Knack

That every year there are millions of trees planted by squirrels who forgot where they buried their nuts. (No, this is not a joke.)

That otters hold hands while they sleep to keep them from drifting away from each other.

That koala bears sleep an average of 18 to 20 hours per day. Not a bad gig, eh?

3. Here’s some food for thought:

A $20 bill today can roughly buy you:

• 7 gallons of gas.
• 6 gallons of milk.
• 10 dozen eggs.
• 40 first-class stamps.

A $20 bill back in the 1930s could have bought you:

• 482 gallons of gas.
• 427 gallons of milk.
• 675 dozen of eggs.
• 2,700 first-class stamps.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – KitKat candy bars are releasing a version for the holidays where those delicious little chocolate-covered wafers are shaped like Santas. I’m not sure how I feel about that. Why mess with success? Would you want to see the Yankees wearing any other uniform at home other than their traditional pinstripes?

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Much like pig bacon is far superior to the turkey version, popcorn popped in a hot-air popper or a skillet, is much better than the microwaved corn.