Who can imagine a better “National Month” designation than the one bestowed upon July by President Ronal Regan in 1984 – National Ice Cream Month! In addition, the third Sunday of July is National Ice Cream Day.
Everyone loves National Ice Cream Month. It’s in the hottest part of the year, so there is no better treat than a frozen one. And, ice cream pairs deliciously with so many other sweets, it is virtually impossible to pass up an opportunity to mix it with another treat. Think about a dip of ice cream on a warm brownie, warm pie or a chocolate chip cookie.
Arabs are credited with inventing the modern-day recipe, using milk and sugar as the primary ingredients, in the ninth century. By the 10th century, it was made with milk, cream, flavored rosewater, dried fruits and nuts. It was widely available in Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo.
The first known mention of ice cream in the United States was in a letter by Maryland Governor William Bladen in 1744. In addition, several early U.S. presidents were fond of ice cream. George Washington spent $200 for ice cream in the summer of 1790.
Around that time, ice cream was considered an occasional treat for the rich. However, as the story goes, Nancy Johnson patented the hand crank ice cream maker in 1843. Eight years later, Jacob Fussell built the first ice cream factory. Both events made ice cream more available to the masses. 
Interesting ice cream facts:
- Most ice cream companies are family owned and have been in business for more than 50 years.
- Ice cream companies help support the U.S. economy by contributing more than $13 billion to the economy
- Ice cream companies support almost 29,000 jobs that generate $1.8 billion in wages.
- In 2021, ice cream makers in the U.S. churned out more than 1.3 billion gallons of ice cream.
- Americans are the world’s largest consumers of ice cream. Additionally, the average American eats about 20 pounds of ice cream per year.
- The latest ice cream-related Guinness world record was set in 2021 by the Ice Cream Lab pop-up at the Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi. The shop set a record by offering 1001 flavors.
- In 2018, Italian ice cream fan Dimitri Panciera set a world record for balancing 125 scoops on a single cone.
- The ice cream soda was invented in 1874.
- California produces the most ice cream in the U.S.
- Vanilla is the most popular flavor.
- It takes approximately 50 licks to finish an ice cream cone.
Sources:
https://nationaltoday.com/national-ice-cream-month/
https://www.idfa.org/july-is-national-ice-cream-month
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com
https://www.dogonews.com/2022/7/1/july-is-national-ice-cream-month