A. Ruth Wakefield, innkeeper at the Toll House Inn, Whitman, Massachusetts
Many discoveries came about by accident or by an out-and-out mistake.
One day, Ruth Wakefield ran out of baking chocolate while preparing a batch of cookies for her guests. All she had on hand was a chocolate candy bar, so she broke it up and added the pieces to her batter. She expected the chocolate to melt evenly. Instead, the cookies were studded with gooey bits of chocolate, and a new treat was born.
