The unmistakable jingles echo through the streets on a sweltering summer day. Immediately, kids get ready to run out their front door and parents reach for their wallets. The ice cream truck is coming. Although these quintessential summer treats seem commonplace today, they were once only available to the elite.

Ice cream itself first came to America with British colonists. This country’s founding fathers were so intrigued with ice cream that Thomas Jefferson even learned how to make it in France. This sweet delicacy was only available to the elite due to the high prices of sugar and vanilla and the limited access to ice. Then, in the 1800s, it became easier for companies to harvest and transport ice, and technological advances increased access to hand-crank ice cream makers. This new technology, coupled with the influx of immigrants who had few job opportunities, led to an increase in ice cream street vendors who made ice cream more affordable for all. The ability to sell ice cream out of a cart instead of a store was a highlight for many vendors because they could evade high rents and property taxes from owning a storefront.