On this day in Iowa

August 19, 1914

In 1914 Jake Ross, a druggist in the town of Lewis, invites neighborhood children into his store to try a lemon-flavored drink. The kids gave their approval and Ross patented his invention under the name Kool-Aide.

Years later, another Lewis native, Edward Perkins, developed and sold bottles of concentrated fruit flavored syrup called Fruit Smack. To lower the high transportation costs of the drink, Perkins devised a way to create a concentrated beverage powder. He attempted to patent this drink under the name Kool-Aide, but found that Ross already held the patent for that name. Perkins purchased the name and the familiar childhood multi-flavored powdered drink Kool-Aid was born.

From Deep Roots: Iowa Heritage Calendar 1976 by Beth Ann Conklin. Additional information from PracticallyEdible.com.