Riotous Halloween celebrations and the first townwide Halloween party, along with a 19th century candy recipe

The grueling routine of lighthouse keepers and a corn chowder from 1896 that they would have had the ingredients for

The fictional woman who became a household name and a friend of homemakers across the country, and her 70-year-old recipe for pineapple upside-down cake

The various versions of that nectar of the weary farmhand and congressman alike, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries

Delicious, creamy baked oysters and the oyster craze in 19th century New York City.

The crucial role of coffee in a Civil War soldier’s life, and the alternatives they came up with for it

The surprisingly good food in one of history’s most notorious prisons: Alcatraz

A refreshing vinegar-based syrup that is wonderful in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and the history of vinegar beverages

The history of the Mai Tai, and the man who had never been to the tropics who created it.

The history of that most perfect of sandwiches and its main components

Texas chili from 1910, the history of chili, and the Chili Queens who sold all kinds of chili-flavored foods in the plazas of San Antonio

The great lengths that the U.S. Navy went to to provide its men with morale-boosting ice cream, and its recipe for a delicious banana nut flavor

Menus and first class breakfast on the Titanic, as well as more stories of the people on board

The history of school lunches and the lunch lady, along with recipes from a Depression Era school cafeteria cookbook

The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 and Boston brown bread

Al Capone’s soup kitchen and an Italian soup that could have been served there

The history of latkes and a recipe based on 20th century versions

Coffee’s checkered past and a coffee-less coffee-looking cocktail that would have been safe to drink during one of the several times the brew was banned

An overview of American WWII field kitchens and rations and a recipe for a classic dish straight from a manual written in 1944

The history of the Volga Germans and a stuffed bread roll recipe made from many 20th century sources