Otto Frederick Rohwedder • Inventor of Sliced Bread
Otto Frederick Rohwedder was born on July 7, 1880, in Davenport, Iowa. His family was of German descent and he was the family’s second youngest child.
As a teenager, he was an apprentice to a jeweller, before going to the Illinois College of Optometry, where he graduated with a degree in Optics in 1900.
He then became a jeweller himself, owning three jewellery stores in Missouri. It was his work with watches and jewellery that inspired him to create and invent ideas for new machines. His hobby became more serious when he began his invention of a machine which could slice bread. He sold his stores to help fund its construction.
In 1927, Rohwedder was finally successful when he created a machine which could not only slice bread, but wrap it as well. He had it patented and sold the first model to his friend, Frank Baker, who owned the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri.
The first loaf of sliced bread was cut and packaged on July 7, 1928, Otto’s 48th Birthday.
In the years following, other inventors and companies attempted to improve upon Otto Rohwedder’s original concept, leading to the creation of brands such as Wonder Bread. And now that sliced bread was becoming more common, it boosted the sales of pop-up toasters.
Rohwedder sold his patent to the Micro-WestCo Company and became one of its executives, overseeing its sales of the bread machines.
He retired in 1951 at the age of 71, and moved to Michigan with his wife, Carrie, to be nearer to their daughter, Margaret.
Otto Rohwedder died on November 8, 1960, in Michigan. His original bread-slicing machine is now held at the Smithsonian Institute in New York.
So, the next time you’re making a nice sandwich, give a little thanks to Otto Rohwedder for making your life just that little bit easier!
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