Summary: Italian food became American food in the 1950's. Older Americans can remember a time when many Americans didn't know what spaghetti and meatballs were. It's hard to imagine now. Food can be a great conversation starter.
American business was always in search of something new, exciting, and authentic. <break time="1s"/> It picked up on Italian food and promoted it. <break time="1s"/> They ran popular ads on television, radio and in magazines.
Maurice Hilleman was a scientist. He studied microbiology, single cell organisms that cause infectious diseases, like COVID. He also created vaccines to protect children. Use this story to talk about disease and ways that we protect ourselves from disease, including hand washing, wearing masks, social distancing and getting vaccinated.