Welcome back to Trivia Waves, where we broadcast the most delicious facts to spark your curiosity! Today, we’re crunching into a tasty piece of food history: did you know the first potato chips were made to annoy a customer? Tune in as we uncover the salty origins of this beloved snack.

The story goes back to 1853 in Saratoga Springs, New York, at a restaurant called Moon’s Lake House. A picky customer—rumored to be railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt—kept sending his fried potatoes back, complaining they were too thick and soggy. Chef George Crum, fed up with the complaints, decided to get even. He sliced the potatoes paper-thin, fried them until they were crispy, and doused them with salt, hoping to irritate the customer with an inedible dish. Instead, the customer loved them, and “Saratoga Chips” became a hit, eventually spreading across the U.S. as the potato chips we know today.

This accidental invention turned a moment of frustration into a global snack sensation, proving that sometimes the best ideas come from the unlikeliest places. At Trivia Waves, we’re obsessed with these savory stories that make history so flavorful, and we’ve got plenty more to share.

What’s your favorite snack origin story? Drop us a line at contact@triviaradio.com—we’d love to hear from you! If you enjoyed this trivia, share it with your fellow fact fans and stay tuned for more waves of knowledge that’ll surprise you.