I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Celebrate National Ice Cream Day on July 17 with a sugar cone piled high with scoops of this frozen treat. Pretend that this favorite summer treat has no calories or contributes to high cholesterol and instead fill your mind with long ago trips to the ice cream parlor, parading in front of the glass case trying to decide which flavor to choose. Eating ice cream is one of those nostalgic summer activities that you can enjoy over and over, generation after generation.

While Baskin-Robbins may only have 31 flavors, over the years they have developed and carried over 1,000 flavors! On National Ice Cream Day, go beyond the traditional vanilla, chocolate or strawberry and check out one of over one thousand inspired flavors of this yummy in your tummy dairy dessert. Your favorite ice cream flavor might be one you haven’t even tried yet!

A Brief History of Ice Cream on National Ice Cream Day

Did you know that ice cream dates back to the Persian Empire before 400 BC? Early Persians would save snow from the mountain tops in underground caverns to bring out during the blistering heat of the summer months. They would pour the juice from grapes over the snow and eat it as a refreshing dessert or chiller to keep themselves cool. The ice cream cone itself was invented in 1904 at the World Fair in St. Louis when the vendor ran out of ice cream cups and a pastry from a neighbor’s booth was rolled into a cone shape to hold it.

Watch Out For Brain Freeze on National Ice Cream Day

Be careful! You can always pick out a person who is experiencing a brain freeze from the telltale grimace that instantly materializes when they start eating ice cream. A brain freeze, or ice cream headache, occurs when the frigid cold of the ice cream touches the roof of your mouth. This causes the rapid constriction of blood vessels on your palate, which nerves interpret as pain to the brain coming from your forehead. Since it takes approximately 50 licks to finish an ice cream cone, it could be a painful undertaking!

Thank Ronald Reagan on National Ice Cream Day

In 1984, the 40 President of the United States, Ronald Reagan proclaimed July a month to celebrate ice cream, even though it was well known that he loved jellybeans above all other sweet treats. With over 90% of the nation’s consumers eating ice cream, it was fitting to have a special day dedicated to the frozen dessert.

However you choose to spend National Ice Cream Day, share a scoop or two with friends and family.  Create memories that your children and grandchildren will relive on a hot, sticky summer day, hoping for a little chilly relief by picking up an ice cream ornament at OrnamentShop.com.