[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 227 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 227

   Honoring the 100th anniversary of the creation of Wonder Bread in 
                         Indianapolis, Indiana.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 20, 2021

Mr. Braun submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Honoring the 100th anniversary of the creation of Wonder Bread in 
                         Indianapolis, Indiana.

Whereas Wonder Bread became a dietary staple for the people of the United 
        States, becoming synonymous with lunch time for school children, diners 
        on highways, and cafeterias in our factories and military bases, and it 
        is part of the collective experience of living in the United States;
Whereas Wonder Bread was developed by the Taggart Baking Company;
Whereas Wonder Bread was founded in 1905 by brothers Alexander and Joseph 
        Taggart and Alexander's son, Alexander Jr.;
Whereas the company's main factory was located at 18-28 North New Jersey Street 
        in Indianapolis, Indiana;
Whereas Alexander and Joseph were immigrants from the Isle of Man, located in 
        the Irish Sea, and their company became the largest bread bakery in the 
        State of Indiana, producing over 300,000 loaves of bread per week;
Whereas people in the United States were turning away from home baked bread and 
        purchasing their bread due to its convenience and affordability;
Whereas ``soft'' bread was desirable, leading the company to develop a bread 
        with an even texture, soft crust, and a resiliency that enabled butter, 
        jam, and peanut butter to be easily spread upon it;
Whereas Elmer Cline, the Taggart Vice President for merchandising development, 
        came up with the name ``Wonder Bread'' and the colorful balloons on the 
        packaging after watching a hot air balloon race at the Indianapolis 
        Motor Speedway;
Whereas Wonder Bread was sold to the Continental Baking Company in 1925, and 
        subsequently combined the standardized 1.5 pound loaves with the Otto 
        Frederick Rohwedder invention for slicing newly baked bread in the 
        factory and the Henri Sevigne machine that wrapped the loaves in waxed 
        paper to ensure freshness, expanding the Wonder Bread identity, 
        deliverability, and storage capability;
Whereas Wonder Bread's popularity greatly expanded after World War II, leading 
        to a Government request to enhance Wonder Bread with vitamins and 
        minerals to enable the company to advertise its nutritional qualities as 
        well as its convenience;
Whereas Wonder Bread became a major sponsor of renowned children's television 
        shows, and as a result, children from across the country embraced the 
        bread even more;
Whereas the creation and rising popularity of Wonder Bread coincided with a new 
        industrial era where factories produced food with uniform size and 
        weight, and its pre-sliced convenience and being wrapped in resealable 
        packaging made Wonder Bread an icon in the United States; and
Whereas Wonder Bread was not associated with a particular ethnic group, 
        religion, or region of the country and was something new that all people 
        of the United States were experiencing together as something that 
        symbolized the collective experience of the post-war United States and 
        all its possibilities: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) while the Wonder Bread brand has been purchased by 
        multiple companies in the last century, it will always be 
        associated with Indianapolis, Indiana, where the Taggart 
        brothers first developed it;
            (2) the influence of the production, packaging, and 
        advertising of Wonder Bread set a standard for an entire 
        industry;
            (3) Wonder Bread's story of being created by immigrants, 
        combining with other innovations to create something entirely 
        new, and embracing new means of advertising and distribution 
        all combined to make the story of Wonder Bread unique to the 
        United States;
            (4) Wonder Bread, and its immediate association with 
        childhood, is a touchstone for all people of the United States, 
        a product that is iconic to our culture, and a symbol of the 
        age in which it was developed; and
            (5) the 100th anniversary of the launching of Wonder Bread 
        is a moment to celebrate United States heritage and the 
        innovation of the people of the United States.
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