The Harvey Girls

 In 1863 George Pullman introduced the first dining car for passengers on the railroad.  In a few years, however, Pullman withdrew from the restaurant business, citing unprofitability.  It seems that the dining car was originally a problem for the American railroad and Pullman's absence only made the problem worse...let's backtrack just a bit.

The popular way of eating in route remained at station restaurants or lunch counters.  Fred Harvey started a chain in 1876 to serve the western railroads and his "Harvey Girls" became famous all along the railroad route - with their curious motto "Slice the ham thinner."

The quick service and herd mentality of these restaurants did one thing - it made all passengers equal.  All passengers had only a short time to eat, silverware was scarce with only one knife and one fork allowed to each passenger (non-replaceable if dropped).  All paid $1.00 per person per meal to be eaten in 10-15 minutes.  Haste and crowds waited for no man...

The dining car as a stand alone service did not find widespread use until the late 19th century.  It was originally designed simply to keep passengers happy during long journeys by rail.  Pullman, however, saw his vision far beyond that and an empire was born.  Next time...

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Today in Pioneer History: "On October 19, 1814, crowds fill the Holliday Street Theater in Baltimore, to hear the debut of the 'Star Spangled Banner.'  Francis Scott Key, a lawyer focusing on slavery cases, wrote it while trapped on a British ship amid the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812.  Of course the song would go on to become our national anthem."