This Week In Illinois History: Birth Of The Twinkie (April 6, 1930)
A 1930s print ad for Hostess Twinkies. The Twinkie, America’s model junk food, got its start in Illinois. Twinkies were invented on April 6, 1930 at the Continental Baking Company in River Forest. Manager James Dewar noticed that the equipment used to make the company’s small, baked strawberry shortcakes sat idle when strawberries were out of season. He came up with the idea to inject the spongy yellow cakes with a fluffy, white cream filling, and the Twinkie was born. Dewar also came up with the name, inspired by a billboard he once saw painted on the side of a barn advertising Twinkle T...
Source: northernpublicradio.org