When I was 11 I had to write a report about a silly but true piece of American history. I chose the cheese presented to Jefferson as the topic. Sadly I did not get a good grade. The teacher did not believe the story was actually true and I received a lecture about not understanding that the story was a historical myth presented as fact.
More recently, a high school teacher claimed that it wasn't true that restaurants in large cities once hung out help wanted signs or posted in newspaper advertisements that "Irish need not apply" for certain jobs. One of his students did some research into it and found numerous historical examples of such discrimination, and embarrassed the hell out of an ignorant teacher.
That is truly sad. Was there no other teacher on staff you could have appealed to? Of course, being 11, you likely assumed your teacher was correct. Clearly you had sources for your topic, the teacher should have taken this into consideration for your grade. Such assumption and arrogance on the part of an educator is appalling. My hope is you are able to take a bit of vindication from this episode of The History Guy... and for what it is worth, kudos on your report!
In the '60s my father worked in a grocery store in Montana. I don't know where he got the idea, but for a few years he ordered a mammoth cheese from Wisconsin. Each year it got bigger. The largest being 1 ton. 'it was displayed in the open. They had guessing contests about the cheese's size and gradually cut it down and sold it. It was a cheddar, but the flavor was much smoother than the regular cheese. You brought back many good memories. Thank you.
I worked at a Wisconsin cheese factory where they made cheese spread. We made the aged sharp cheddar from a 600 lb round. It was 3 feet in diameter and 4 feet tall. It was a little over 6 years old and after we got the paper and cardboard wrappings off of it, it was bright green. Took 3 of us an hour to carefully cut all the mold off of it. Best tasting cheddar I ever had.
There's a company in Wisconsin that makes giant wheels of cheese ranging from 20 to 4600 pounds. I first learned of them when I was on a grocery store in Fort Worth, TX, while visiting my sister. I came around a corner to the cheese area and there was a 3 foot tall by 3 foot diameter wheel of cheese on a small pallet. My initial thought was, "Of course they have enormous wheels of cheese in Texas." (Then I saw it came from Wisconsin.)
The Pirates of Green Bay were feared by all the Wisconsin cheese makers of the day. They roamed the coasts in their smelly ship, the "Muffet," attacking dairies and demanding they hand over their curds and whey. They were only stopped when they absconded with a massive booty of limburger and died of asphyxiation.
@@rhuephus: The British didn’t seem to have too much trouble accessing the White House to burn it in the war of 1812. I think they could get most pirate ships pretty close to the White House. “The Potomac River is 107 feet (32.16m) deep near Morgantown in the tidal portion of the river just below Washington, D.C.”
When I worked for Kroger,it was common to ship 50lb.cheese wheels and occasionally 250lb.wheels. We once had a 500lb. block special ordered. They were a real pain to ship.
In the days of sail, ships often took cheese along as part of the ship's stores. Cheddar and Double Gloucester were the most common because they traveled well.
Your channel has to be the most surprising of any I watch. Your reference titles rarely give clues to what you are about to enlighten us with. "Now what?" often comes to mind when I click your link, most endearingly, I must add. My lifelong love of history has been so expanded by your channel. I am in your debt.
CUT THE CHEESE -- This idiom references the foul smell emitted by some cheeses, many of which have a rind that keeps the odor in. Once the rind is pierced, as in the case of slicing it, the smell is released. Since the late 1800s "cut" in various phrases meant "to expel intestinal gas." 1899 - To cut one's finger, is to break wind. "Cut the cheese" is placed in 1965-70 by this source. "Dictionary of American Regional English."
I really enjoy your channel. I sat right up when you said, Sandy Creek. I live in Oswego County and frequent all the towns you mentioned and was married in Utica, NY. I never knew about the cheese from Sandy Creek, town of Richland until this episode. I never know what I'm going to learn from you and this time it was history in my backyard. Thank you
You touch on Charles Wilson Peale and I couldn't help thinking that him and his family would truly fit into that eccentric but forgotten history that sits in your wheelhouse. He named his sons after artists. And one, Rubens Peale did become one. Rembrandt went in another direction and founded the first public utility in America, originally using coal gas to illuminate his museum "of oddities" in Baltimore. Sarah did not get an artist's name but her gift for portraiture was as astonishing as it was unforgettable. A bit too true to life for many 😆
What an amazing story in history and no better person to tell it than you ! Enjoy every story you tell and your right " History deserves to be remembered " ! Thank you for your hard work and dedication.
A great start to my morning and some laughs with my coffee and THG. As I'm a former dairy farmer and my wife currently involved online with her cousins goat cheese concern.
For years, the Toledo, OH store, Tiedtke's (one of the 1st 'department' stores) had a wheel of cheese that weighed over a thousand pounds brought in after Thanksgiving for sale (in smaller pieces) for the holidays. It lasted only very brief ( sometimes only a day or two). The store is gone but other stores still have a 'holiday cheese' to honor Tiedtke's & foster fond memories of times & places past...🧀
I remember back in the early 1980s there was a surplus of dairy products that the Agriculture Dept accumulated from their purchases for price support for the industry. Reagan ordered that it be distributed to the poor. For years afterward free stuff from the government was referred to as "Ronnie's cheese."
I'm proud to say I'm from that part of New York State. Thank you once again Mr. History Guy as well as your episode about Salt Potatoes. Now when am I going to get an episode about the history of barns?
I never knew about this... and for that I thank you very much! Fun Stuff! Jackson's presidency is as equally polarizing as it is unusual and extreme/eccentric (at least for OUR time), I for one love it
I watched some other vid of the mighty US Cheese Reserve, and since then, TH-cam knew to serve me up more great Cheese! Still, I am sad to learn we've let the Canucks steal the lead on our Cheesiness
May I suggest a bit if history that deserves to be remembered. When did the noun 'gift' usurp the verb 'give'? I gave it some thought, but have been given no insight. When you give the answer, I will be happy to share the name of who gave to me this gift.
If you know, you know… “Alright, shut the hell up. I’ve fired more people than you before breakfast. Andrew Jackson had a 2 ton block of cheese.” *groans of displeasure* “And a triscuit the size of Rhode Island.” *laughter*
This story seems kinda cheesy, but I still love the History Guy's stories. He gives us a unique look into history. When it comes to history, he's the big cheese!
Washington’s Birthday has never been combined with Presidents Day on the Federal level. The national holiday is still the Washington’s Birthday holiday.
Ironic that the cheese made in a town called Cheshire was a Cheddar instead of the white crumbly Cheshire cheese we have here in the English county of Cheshire.
So many wedge issues in our current society. This is a gouda distraction from the curdling cries of our media. I sometimes feel de-pressed about it. Guess it needed a bit of time for this issue to ripen. I've half a rind to examine this culture closer. *shows himself out*
The origin of the phrase is disputed, but it did not become common in the US until the twentieth century, and so is likely unrelated to the mammoth cheeses.
And did they have avocados then? Avocado and cheese sandwiches are the best. My kids' mom nursed our triplets -- for the first 7 months exclusively -- while I fed her avocado and cheese sandwiches.
My father (now 85 years old) willingly eats the moldy part, too. I watched him do it recently. He found an old block of moldy cheddar in the back of the refrigerator and ate moldy cheese with his apple pie. I declined to eat either one.
@@ericbeattie761 , ⏳ That's because you took time, the cheese was being age.⏳ The Mold is the indicator of age, time. ⏳ You took away his delight. Nowadays individual's want 🧀 INSTANT 😥 g r a t i f i - c a t i o n.
There is disagreement over the origin of the phrase, but it was not commonly used in the IS until the 20th century, so is unlikely to be connected to the mammoth cheeses.
The origin of the expression is disputed, but it did not become popular in the US until the twentieth century, and so is unlikely to be connected to the mammoth cheeses.
I don't see anything wrong with honoring the President that way. As G. K. Chesterton put it, "Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese."
@James Turner......touche' James....the History Guy is from the St. Louis area....and there are many native American words, tribes, and places in the area that YOU would have a hard time correctly pronouncing. Likewise, many St. Louis area landmarks, parks, and neighborhoods have French names that would stump the most hard-core East Coast New Yawwwkaaas........
" Giants that *heard* [sic] mammoths" 😆..... this begs the question, do scientists know for certain if mammoths made trumpeting sounds like modern elephants too? If a mammoth trumpeted in the grasslands or frozen tundra and there was no one, gigantic or not, there to hear it, did they really make a sound?🤔
When I was 11 I had to write a report about a silly but true piece of American history. I chose the cheese presented to Jefferson as the topic. Sadly I did not get a good grade. The teacher did not believe the story was actually true and I received a lecture about not understanding that the story was a historical myth presented as fact.
Your teacher was wrong. There is clear reporting in contemporary newspapers. Sorry to hear about your grade!
That's pretty sad. If you have contact info for that teacher you should forward them this video.
More recently, a high school teacher claimed that it wasn't true that restaurants in large cities once hung out help wanted signs or posted in newspaper advertisements that "Irish need not apply" for certain jobs. One of his students did some research into it and found numerous historical examples of such discrimination, and embarrassed the hell out of an ignorant teacher.
That is truly sad. Was there no other teacher on staff you could have appealed to? Of course, being 11, you likely assumed your teacher was correct. Clearly you had sources for your topic, the teacher should have taken this into consideration for your grade. Such assumption and arrogance on the part of an educator is appalling. My hope is you are able to take a bit of vindication from this episode of The History Guy... and for what it is worth, kudos on your report!
Ohh how close minded some teachers have. 🙄
In the '60s my father worked in a grocery store in Montana. I don't know where he got the idea, but for a few years he ordered a mammoth cheese from Wisconsin. Each year it got bigger. The largest being 1 ton. 'it was displayed in the open. They had guessing contests about the cheese's size and gradually cut it down and sold it. It was a cheddar, but the flavor was much smoother than the regular cheese. You brought back many good memories. Thank you.
I worked at a Wisconsin cheese factory where they made cheese spread. We made the aged sharp cheddar from a 600 lb round. It was 3 feet in diameter and 4 feet tall. It was a little over 6 years old and after we got the paper and cardboard wrappings off of it, it was bright green. Took 3 of us an hour to carefully cut all the mold off of it. Best tasting cheddar I ever had.
Hooray for “The West Wing” and Big Block of Cheese Day! I seem to remember at least two of those during the Bartlet administration.
There's a company in Wisconsin that makes giant wheels of cheese ranging from 20 to 4600 pounds. I first learned of them when I was on a grocery store in Fort Worth, TX, while visiting my sister. I came around a corner to the cheese area and there was a 3 foot tall by 3 foot diameter wheel of cheese on a small pallet. My initial thought was, "Of course they have enormous wheels of cheese in Texas." (Then I saw it came from Wisconsin.)
This gives new insight to the title of a boss; "The Big Cheese". I was a bit sad this did not involve pirates though.
the pirates came in later and stole the rest of the cheese. How they got their pirate ship to the White House is uncertain.
The Pirates of Green Bay were feared by all the Wisconsin cheese makers of the day. They roamed the coasts in their smelly ship, the "Muffet," attacking dairies and demanding they hand over their curds and whey.
They were only stopped when they absconded with a massive booty of limburger and died of asphyxiation.
@@rhuephus: The British didn’t seem to have too much trouble accessing the White House to burn it in the war of 1812. I think they could get most pirate ships pretty close to the White House. “The Potomac River is 107 feet (32.16m) deep near Morgantown in the tidal portion of the river just below Washington, D.C.”
When I worked for Kroger,it was common to ship 50lb.cheese wheels and occasionally 250lb.wheels. We once had a 500lb. block special ordered. They were a real pain to ship.
Famously referenced in many episodes of “The West Wing”
Leo's Big Block of Cheese Day. ❤
Big Block of Cheese Day episodes are two of my favorites
I'd say this video goes to show that even the cheesiest history deserves to be remembered. 🧀
Insert that Shame gif from Game of Thrones here. The one with the bell.
Hehehe
Groaning
😂
In the days of sail, ships often took cheese along as part of the ship's stores. Cheddar and Double Gloucester were the most common because they traveled well.
A Mammoth wheel of cheese would be the only consideration in me ever seeking the highest office.
The big cheese is entitled to a big cheese.
Your channel has to be the most surprising of any I watch. Your reference titles rarely give clues to what you are about to enlighten us with. "Now what?" often comes to mind when I click your link, most endearingly, I must add. My lifelong love of history has been so expanded by your channel. I am in your debt.
Gives new meaning to the term "Government Cheese". 😄
I was going to say that I didn't realize that Jackson preceded Reagan in handing out so much cheese!
Our modern lobby run government now days we just has the stink without the benefit of the cheddar.
There's a great episode of the show, West Wing, that references this. Well worth watching !
CUT THE CHEESE -- This idiom references the foul smell emitted by some cheeses, many of which have a rind that keeps the odor in. Once the rind is pierced, as in the case of slicing it, the smell is released.
Since the late 1800s "cut" in various phrases meant "to expel intestinal gas." 1899 - To cut one's finger, is to break wind. "Cut the cheese" is placed in 1965-70 by this source. "Dictionary of American Regional English."
If I were to be president, I would like a big block of BACON.
I really enjoy your channel. I sat right up when you said, Sandy Creek. I live in Oswego County and frequent all the towns you mentioned and was married in Utica, NY. I never knew about the cheese from Sandy Creek, town of Richland until this episode. I never know what I'm going to learn from you and this time it was history in my backyard. Thank you
Very well done! Dare I say this is Grate? lol
You touch on Charles Wilson Peale and I couldn't help thinking that him and his family would truly fit into that eccentric but forgotten history that sits in your wheelhouse. He named his sons after artists. And one, Rubens Peale did become one. Rembrandt went in another direction and founded the first public utility in America, originally using coal gas to illuminate his museum "of oddities" in Baltimore. Sarah did not get an artist's name but her gift for portraiture was as astonishing as it was unforgettable. A bit too true to life for many 😆
I’ll second that. Rembrandt Peale was the last living artist that painted George Washington from life. And that’s just one fun fact of hundreds!
Me: how big could a cheese wheel be.
Watches video: holy cow
I see what you did there.
So thanks to Jackson we know the origin of the phrase “who cut the cheese”.
Or the custom of calling a bigshot “the head cheese”
As a student of the American Presidency of 32 years, I NEVER knew of the Jefferson cheese. But I'm well aware of the Jackson cheese.
"what to do with the cheese became a pressing question". I see what you did there.....
Mammoth Cheeses .....Thanks to THG🎀 👍
Shoe🇺🇸
It was great that he mentioned the West Wing that's what drew me to the episode loved it
What an amazing story in history and no better person to tell it than you ! Enjoy every story you tell and your right " History deserves to be remembered " ! Thank you for your hard work and dedication.
It's always great hearing -- and learning -- the true story. Great episode . . . as always.
Thank you THG, for that cheesey presentation.
A great start to my morning and some laughs with my coffee and THG. As I'm a former dairy farmer and my wife currently involved online with her cousins goat cheese concern.
For years, the Toledo, OH store, Tiedtke's (one of the 1st 'department' stores) had a wheel of cheese that weighed over a thousand pounds brought in after Thanksgiving for sale (in smaller pieces) for the holidays. It lasted only very brief ( sometimes only a day or two). The store is gone but other stores still have a 'holiday cheese' to honor Tiedtke's & foster fond memories of times & places past...🧀
"Mammoth Jesus" is one of the more colorful and unintentionally hilarious Closed Captioning errors I've ever read.
Tusk, tusk -- blasphemous!
Completely unrelated, but that reminded me of 'Butter Jesus'. You'll have to look that one up.
I read about the cheese before but had forgotten about it. Thank you for sharing!
This is one of the best stories I have heard about the Presidents.
I WILL JUMP IN HERE AND SAY THATS CHEESY , NEVER STOP THIS ALL AROUND COVERAGE OF HISTORY.
I remember back in the early 1980s there was a surplus of dairy products that the Agriculture Dept accumulated from their purchases for price support for the industry. Reagan ordered that it be distributed to the poor. For years afterward free stuff from the government was referred to as "Ronnie's cheese."
I'm proud to say I'm from that part of New York State. Thank you once again Mr. History Guy as well as your episode about Salt Potatoes. Now when am I going to get an episode about the history of barns?
well .. "barns" have been around (all over the worlds) since man domesticated animals. Which was a few years ago.
I'm not a fan of Cheese...........but fan of History. AWESOME presentation, History Guy!!
lol I saw that in West wing recently. Nice. Funny episodes
I never knew about this... and for that I thank you very much! Fun Stuff!
Jackson's presidency is as equally polarizing as it is unusual and extreme/eccentric (at least for OUR time), I for one love it
Wow, this is an interesting but off-the-wall topic!
So Jefferson gave away a lot of the cheese. That must have been the first Government Cheese Giveaway.😂
I wrote a paper in Grad School on Jackson’s mammoth cheese! There’s a contemporary pamphlet entitled “Ode to the Mammoth Cheese.”
I watched some other vid of the mighty US Cheese Reserve, and since then, TH-cam knew to serve me up more great Cheese! Still, I am sad to learn we've let the Canucks steal the lead on our Cheesiness
Amazing episode!!!
I only rewatched the West Wing episode that used the cheese as a plot point this morning! What are the odds!?
A mammoth thumb up and a mammoth cheer for our mammoth History Guy! He deserves it. 👍
May I suggest a bit if history that deserves to be remembered. When did the noun 'gift' usurp the verb 'give'? I gave it some thought, but have been given no insight. When you give the answer, I will be happy to share the name of who gave to me this gift.
If you know, you know…
“Alright, shut the hell up. I’ve fired more people than you before breakfast.
Andrew Jackson had a 2 ton block of cheese.”
*groans of displeasure*
“And a triscuit the size of Rhode Island.”
*laughter*
Ahhh, WW fans rejoice at hearing this story!
"And a Wheat Thin the size of Lake Tahoe", actually :D
Excellent! I watched West Wing too!!!
That Canadian record is begging to be broken in spectacular fashion. Come one fellow countryman dairy farmers make it so.
This is great. Which is your favorite historical event that deserves to be remembered
I've never needed to know History more than just now. Mammoth Cheese mmmm
This story seems kinda cheesy, but I still love the History Guy's stories. He gives us a unique look into history. When it comes to history, he's the big cheese!
I love this story ! Was almost t laughing! .
Considering the body oder of people back then, I’m surprised they could smell the cheese!
😃 😊 😀 Thank you.
I live next door to Cheshire and go by the monument to the cheese press the town has near their school.
I do have to wonder if the phrases "the big cheese" and "the big wheel" in reference to people of authority comes from the mammoth cheeses!
Hmmm. I think you are on to something
Of course it was cheddar. America can't get enough of cheddar.
Proof that not every good story involves pirates. Unless some river pirates had to be paid off to allow that barge carrying it to pass.
I would love the return of cheese as a political statement! 🤣
Oh, I want to write an alternate history novel where President Jefferson is crushed after the cheese was displayed vertically and rolled over him.
Given the season, I look forward to the companion piece on the baby cheeses.
Washington’s Birthday has never been combined with Presidents Day on the Federal level. The national holiday is still the Washington’s Birthday holiday.
" The Big Chiz "
Is this also the origin of the phrase "The Big Cheese" as an indicator of who's a leader?
Most probably
Ironic that the cheese made in a town called Cheshire was a Cheddar instead of the white crumbly Cheshire cheese we have here in the English county of Cheshire.
Having went to school there it's ahs-wee-go. Great content as always!
So many wedge issues in our current society. This is a gouda distraction from the curdling cries of our media. I sometimes feel de-pressed about it. Guess it needed a bit of time for this issue to ripen. I've half a rind to examine this culture closer. *shows himself out*
..and the door hits his butt on the way out
Back in the Saddle Again Naturally!
I keep thinking of the West Wing TV show with the big block of cheese day :)
Is this why we call significant and/or well liked people, “The big cheese”?
The origin of the phrase is disputed, but it did not become common in the US until the twentieth century, and so is likely unrelated to the mammoth cheeses.
What kind of bread did they pick up with these cheeses? Without good bread, cheese is nothing!😄
And did they have avocados then? Avocado and cheese sandwiches are the best. My kids' mom nursed our triplets -- for the first 7 months exclusively -- while I fed her avocado and cheese sandwiches.
For sham! Cheese can always stand alone!
My grandfather would not eat cheddar cheese until he had to cut the mold off
My father (now 85 years old) willingly eats the moldy part, too. I watched him do it recently. He found an old block of moldy cheddar in the back of the refrigerator and ate moldy cheese with his apple pie. I declined to eat either one.
@@zz449944 I gotten so much trouble for eating my grandfather's moldy cheese. He wouldn't talk to me for months
@@ericbeattie761 , ⏳
That's because you took time, the cheese was being age.⏳
The Mold is the indicator of age, time. ⏳
You took away his delight.
Nowadays individual's want 🧀 INSTANT 😥
g r a t i f i - c a t i o n.
did you just throw down the gauntlet at the end there. Largest block made in Canada.
Is this where the expression "He/she is the big cheese" comes from?
There is disagreement over the origin of the phrase, but it was not commonly used in the IS until the 20th century, so is unlikely to be connected to the mammoth cheeses.
I love cheese. I wish I was there. If I had a time machine, one trip would be to the mammoth cheese
Local history for me. I grew up in Oswego County, New York.
the cheese stands alone 🧀
Is this where we got the expression “big cheese” to describe a person of importance?
The origin of the expression is disputed, but it did not become popular in the US until the twentieth century, and so is unlikely to be connected to the mammoth cheeses.
Perhaps this was an early example of the MEGA phenomenon.
I don't see anything wrong with honoring the President that way. As G. K. Chesterton put it, "Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese."
I live in Sandy Creek New York. I’m proud to be.😊
What, no cheese jokes?! You missed many puns, THG!
I guess THG figured that those puns where too cheesy. Baddabang, Buddaboom.
It ain't easy, being cheesy.
A big cheese for the 'Big Cheese'.
Today, THG channels Leo McGarry
10,000 people “cutting the cheese” in the White House could indeed leave a foul persistent odor.
'' butt the question remains. Just who did cut it, the cheeze,, who cut the cheeze...'
Oh my. You are definitely not from AAAAAAAAAANYWHERE in New York. It was entertaining as can be to listen to you say those names. ☠️ Syracuse, NY. 💙✊🏿
@James Turner......touche' James....the History Guy is from the St. Louis area....and there are many native American words, tribes, and places in the area that YOU would
have a hard time correctly pronouncing. Likewise, many St. Louis area landmarks, parks, and neighborhoods have French names that would stump the most
hard-core East Coast New Yawwwkaaas........
Great video.
Edam, but this episode was really gouda THG.
Big block of cheese day.
I just want to know who cut it?
This has to be your cheesiest video I've seen to date.
In the video game Skyrim there's Giants that heard mammoths and they make mammoth cheese.
Maybe that's actually a Sly reference to this
" Giants that *heard* [sic] mammoths" 😆..... this begs the question, do scientists know for certain if mammoths made trumpeting sounds like modern elephants too? If a mammoth trumpeted in the grasslands or frozen tundra and there was no one, gigantic or not, there to hear it, did they really make a sound?🤔
@@goodun2974 okay yeah you got me haha.
I will say that I wrote that comment before I had coffee this morning
@@VictorianTimeTraveler , I never let an opportunity for a joke or a pun go by!
@@goodun2974 If a tree falls in the forest and Fox News isn't there to cover it, is it still Obama's fault?
@@rabbi120348 , it's all in who is covering or telling the story, ain't it?!
Is this the origin of commodity cheese?
I love cheese 🧀 😋 often I have been told that I was the Count of cutting the cheese! 🧀 It was Grate !🤫 Shhh
You might be one slice of cheese shy of a sandwich......😁
@@goodun2974 I hope it's toasted!
I know where I wan't to send a baby bell
I learned all of this from Leo McGarry. :^)
Quite the homage to fromage.
I suspect that Jefferson was not the first president to cut the cheese.