Ice as a natural element has been a fixture on earth for about 2.4 billion years. Ice as a commodity is a more recent phenomenon. For centuries, ice was a luxury reserved for rich estate owners and used for food preservation rather than refreshment. That all changed in 1805, when a young Frederic Tudor was enjoying ice cream and cold drinks at his well-to-do Boston family’s summer party and began musing about how colonizing forces in the West Indies would envy his refreshments. This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-Two Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 48 Jordan Casteel The acclaimed painter of people—and now plants. Arts & Culture Issue 48 The Sweet Spot How long is the perfect vacation? Arts & Culture Issue 48 Cliff Tan Four questions for a feng shui guru. Arts & Culture Issue 48 Figure Skating with Mirai Nagasu The Olympic athlete has known glory, pain and transcendence on the ice. Arts & Culture Issue 48 Sweet Nothing On the virtues of hanging out. Arts & Culture Issue 48 The Art of Fashion On what artists’ clothes communicate.
Arts & Culture Issue 48 Figure Skating with Mirai Nagasu The Olympic athlete has known glory, pain and transcendence on the ice.