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1683 -- According to legend the first
bagels rolled into the world in 1683 when a Viennese baker wanted to
pay tribute to Jan Sobieski, the King of Poland. King Jan had just
saved the people of Austria from an onslaught of Turkish invaders.
The King was a great horseman, and the baker decided to shape the
yeast dough into an uneven circle resembling a stirrup (or
'beugal'). (Other German variations of the word are: 'beigel',
meaning 'ring', and 'bugel', meaning bracelet.)
1872 -- Cream cheese is invented. In
1880, Philadelphia Cream Cheese was started, and in 1920, Breakstone
Cream Cheese
1880's -- Thousands of Eastern European
Jews immigrated to the United States. They brought with them a
desire for bagels. Soon bagels became closely associated with New
York and Chicago, both cities with large Jewish
populations.
1907 -- A union just for bagel bakers is
formed, the International Bakers Union, joining together 300 bakers.
Only sons of union members could be apprenticed to learn the secrets
of bagel baking in order to safeguard the culinary art.
1935 -- The first Bagel Boss opened,
bringing high quality New York bagels to Long Island.
1960s -- Bagel production skyrocketed as
machines capable of producing 200 to 400 bagels per hour were
popularized.
1987 -- Bagels made their way into
mainstream America, sold around the country in grocery stores and
listed as standard items on fast food menus.
1988 -- Americans were eating an average
of one bagel per month.
1993 -- America's consumption of bagels
doubled to an average of one bagel every two weeks
2001 -- BagelBoss.com opens an online
store, delivering New York bagels, cream cheese, smoked salmon,
cakes, cookies and more throughout the
U.S. | 
