Tomatoes Were Scary

For hundreds of years western culture believed that the tomato, a member of the nightshade family and relative to the deadly belladonna (above), was poisonous. With a name like Lycopersicon esculentum or "Wolf peach" it was hard to argue against it's bloodthirsty association. It was also believed that eating tomatoes would cause hallucinations and became tied to witchcraft.

Then one day in 1820 Col. Robert Gibbon Johnson of Salem, NJ stood on the steps of the Salem courthouse with a basket of tomatoes. Believed to be an attempt of public suicide, a crowd began to gather around him. Some accounts claim that over 2,000 people attended the event and even the local fireman's band played mourning songs as he began to eat the "poison berries". His doctor feverishly warned him of his foolish decision, claiming that it would turn his blood to acid and end his career after one bite. Much to everyone's surprise the Colonial did not die after eating the bushel and after news of the sensational event spread the tomato industry in America took off.