Who was Hanson Gregory?

Hanson Gregory was an American inventor, credited with inventing the ice cream cone in 1904. While the exact circumstances of its invention are disputed, the prevailing story claims that Gregory, a waffle vendor at the St. Louis World's Fair, ran out of bowls for ice cream and, in a moment of ingenuity, rolled a waffle into a cone shape to hold the frozen treat.

While Gregory did patent the "Conical Ice Cream Holder" in 1904, the claim that he invented the ice cream cone is debated. Some historians argue that a similar, unpatented design existed before Gregory's invention.

Regardless of the exact origin, Gregory's invention undeniably played a significant role in popularizing the now-ubiquitous ice cream cone. His invention changed the way we consume ice cream, leading to the evolution of various cone shapes, sizes, and flavors.