III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 227 

Honoring the 100th anniversary of the creation of Wonder Bread in 

Indianapolis, Indiana. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 20, 2021 

Mr. BRAUN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the 100th anniversary of the creation of Wonder 

Bread in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Whereas Wonder Bread became a dietary staple for the people of the United States, becoming synonymous with 

lunch time for school children, diners on highways, and 

cafeterias in our factories and military bases, and it is 

part of the collective experience of living in the United 

States; 

Whereas Wonder Bread was developed by the Taggart Baking Company; 

Whereas Wonder Bread was founded in 1905 by brothers 

Alexander and Joseph Taggart and Alexander’s son, 

Alexander Jr.; 


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•SRES 227 IS 

Whereas the company’s main factory was located at 18–28 

North New Jersey Street in Indianapolis, Indiana; 

Whereas Alexander and Joseph were immigrants from the 

Isle of Man, located in the Irish Sea, and their company 

became the largest bread bakery in the State of Indiana, 

producing over 300,000 loaves of bread per week; 

Whereas people in the United States were turning away from 

home baked bread and purchasing their bread due to its 

convenience and affordability; 

Whereas ‘‘soft’’ bread was desirable, leading the company to 

develop a bread with an even texture, soft crust, and a 

resiliency that enabled butter, jam, and peanut butter to 

be easily spread upon it; 

Whereas Elmer Cline, the Taggart Vice President for merchandising development, came up with the name ‘‘Wonder Bread’’ and the colorful balloons on the packaging 

after watching a hot air balloon race at the Indianapolis 

Motor Speedway; 

Whereas Wonder Bread was sold to the Continental Baking 

Company in 1925, and subsequently combined the standardized 1.5 pound loaves with the Otto Frederick 

Rohwedder invention for slicing newly baked bread in the 

factory and the Henri Sevigne machine that wrapped the 

loaves in waxed paper to ensure freshness, expanding the 

Wonder Bread identity, deliverability, and storage capability; 

Whereas Wonder Bread’s popularity greatly expanded after 

World War II, leading to a Government request to enhance Wonder Bread with vitamins and minerals to enable the company to advertise its nutritional qualities as 

well as its convenience; 


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•SRES 227 IS 

Whereas Wonder Bread became a major sponsor of renowned 

children’s television shows, and as a result, children from 

across the country embraced the bread even more; 

Whereas the creation and rising popularity of Wonder Bread 

coincided with a new industrial era where factories produced food with uniform size and weight, and its presliced convenience and being wrapped in resealable packaging made Wonder Bread an icon in the United States; 

and 

Whereas Wonder Bread was not associated with a particular 

ethnic group, religion, or region of the country and was 

something new that all people of the United States were 

experiencing together as something that symbolized the 

collective experience of the post-war United States and all 

its possibilities: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) while the Wonder Bread brand has been 

3 purchased by multiple companies in the last century, 

4 it will always be associated with Indianapolis, Indi5 ana, where the Taggart brothers first developed it; 

6 (2) the influence of the production, packaging, 

7 and advertising of Wonder Bread set a standard for 

8 an entire industry; 

9 (3) Wonder Bread’s story of being created by 

10 immigrants, combining with other innovations to 

11 create something entirely new, and embracing new 

12 means of advertising and distribution all combined 


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•SRES 227 IS 

1 to make the story of Wonder Bread unique to the 

2 United States; 

3 (4) Wonder Bread, and its immediate associa4 tion with childhood, is a touchstone for all people of 

5 the United States, a product that is iconic to our 

6 culture, and a symbol of the age in which it was de7 veloped; and 

8 (5) the 100th anniversary of the launching of 

9 Wonder Bread is a moment to celebrate United 

10 States heritage and the innovation of the people of 

11 the United States. 

Æ 


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