The creator of the banana split never received royalties. Because ideas in food belong to culture.
In 1904, a 23-year-old apprentice pharmacist named David Strickler was manning the soda fountain at a drug store in Latrobe, PA. On a whim, he sliced a banana lengthwise and put ice cream inside for a few customers. Evidently, they liked it, because the banana split would go viral in the early 1900s, spreading to soda shops everywhere, transcending from a 2,000-calorie uber dessert to a piece of Americana recognized around the world.
