The Ice Cube's Journey from a New England Pond to a Water Glass in India

Do you ever stop to think about the ice cubes keeping your crisp lemonade cool? Take a moment to learn about the history of ice, and you might just appreciate your next glass even more.

When you think of miraculous modern conveniences, your freezer probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. It’s unlikelier still that you’re aware of the decades of struggle and innovation, as well as the shifts in international trade behind the common ice cube. Indeed, the story of how ice became one of the most important exports in the history of the United States and permanently altered the way we consume and ship goods is one you likely haven’t heard. We’re here to defrost the mystique and bring you the facts about this important innovation in food history.

The Man with the Plan

It all started with one man: Bostonian Frederic Tudor. At the time, ice was a luxury only afforded to the wealthiest New Englanders, but Tudor aimed to change that. After passing a hot day enjoying cold beverages and ice cream, he and his brother were inspired to formulate a scheme to ship ice to the West Indies. In 1806, when no ship would accept his unorthodox cargo, Tudor purchased a ship himself and sent his first shipment of 130 tons of ice harvested from the pond of his family’s estate (insulated with hay) to Martinique. Upon learning of this news, The Boston Gazette famously quipped, "No joke. A vessel with a cargo of ice has cleared out from this port for Martinique. We hope this will not prove to be a slippery speculation."

Unfortunately for Tudor, his mission was met with a lack of enthusiasm in the West Indies. There was little demand for ice, and worse, nowhere to store it. While most of the cargo arrived intact, it melted in the heat before it could be purchased. The trip was a huge loss for Tudor -- but he learned from his mistakes. When the time came for his next expedition, this time to Havana, he made sure that there was a storehouse constructed at the port to house the ice upon arrival. This time, he was able to sell his wares before they all melted.

Improving the Process

Still, Tudor faced many challenges, mostly due to the low demand for his ice. With a moratorium on international shipping during much of the early 19th century, Tudor turned his focus to the domestic market, pushing his product in New England and even the warmer South. He pushed forward by offering free ice to bar owners, doctors, and general consumers, hoping that once they tried a cold drink or a cold compress, they’d never again want to go without. He was right.

The ice trade continued to grow steadily until 1825, when Tudor teamed up with inventor Nathaniel Wyeth. Wyeth’s innovations, including a horse-drawn ice cutter and uniform assembly process, made harvesting the cold stuff much easier and efficient, and standardized the shipping process with uniformly shaped blocks and sawdust for insulation. The real test came in 1833, when Tudor shipped 180 tons of ice to English colonists in Calcutta, India. The venture was so successful that it reopened the Boston-India trade route, kickstarted demand in the East, and made ice one of the United States’ largest imports by weight (second only to cotton) in the years before the Civil War.