Toothpick - Definition and Overview

A toothpick is a piece of wood or other substance to remove food from the teeth after a meal.

History

Toothpick grooves have been found in the teeth of prehistoric humans. The first modern toothpick was reputably used in the Union Oyster House. the oldest restaurant in the United States, in the Boston, Massachusetts. The toothpick was allegedly invented by some students at Harvard. The entrepreneur who "invented" the toothpick apparently decided that the best way to increase demand for his innovation was to pay Harvard students eat there and to request toothpicks.

The first toothpick-manufacturing machine was patented on February 20, 1872, by Silas Noble and J. P. Cooley of Granville, Massachusetts.

Trivia

The American state of Maine claims to be the toothpick capital of the world, producing "90% of the country's toothpick supply."

Supposedly, the toothpick is the object Americans most often choke on.

External links and references

• Historical note (http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bldental.htm)
• More history (http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bldental.htm)
• Page from www.unionoysterhouse.com (http://www.unionoysterhouse.com/Pages/history.html)
• On Maine & the "toothpick capital of the world" (http://home.tiscali.be/patrick.verboven/The-House-of-Lists/facts.html)
• More on Maine (http://www.50states.com/facts/maine.htm)
• The toothpick the object most often choked on by Americans? (http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/6271/tmrpeopl.html)

Example Usage of Toothpick