National Ice Cream Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of July in the United States. It is a time of the year when millions of people across the country can enjoy one of the most iconic American desserts of all time. This day, as well as National Ice Cream Month, was established by presidential proclamation in July of 1984 and continues to be a favorite holiday for children of all ages.

History

In July of 1984, President Ronald Reagan declared the third week of July to be National Ice Cream Month by signing Proclamation 5219. In this proclamation, the president called ice cream the perfect dessert and snack food and stated that over 90 percent of Americans enjoy it on a regular basis. He also stated in the proclamation that Americans should observe this day with appropriate activities and celebrations.

According to the International Dairy Foods Association, the United States ice cream industry generates over ten billion dollars a year in revenue. Since international sales only make up about three to four billion dollars of those figures, it is safe to say Americans really love their ice cream. After all, they consume almost seven billion dollars of it each year.

Another fact that is sure to convince you of the American love for ice cream is that almost ten percent of all milk produced by U.S. dairy farmers is used in the production of ice cream.

While the history of National Ice Cream Day is an indisputable truth, the same can’t be said about the history of ice cream itself. Many different countries have claimed that it is their invention, but most likely, modern ice cream was invented by the Chinese during the seventh century.

In the United States, the history of ice cream is a little more straightforward. It was brought to the colonies from Europe and quickly became a favorite of the wealthy. It would remain in the hands of the elite until the 19th century when improvements in technology allowed ice cream to be mass-produced. The rest, as they say, is history.

Celebrations and Observances

There isn’t a whole lot of fanfare associated with this holiday. In fact, most people just go out and enjoy their favorite ice cream dish, which is probably the perfect way to celebrate this day.