Behind the classic tulip glass of vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and a cherry lies a surprisingly bitter feud. This episode untangles the contested origins of the ice cream sundae, starting with the mystery of its strange spelling.

We examine an 1892 Ithaca advertisement spelled like the day of the week, Chester Platt’s attempt to trademark the word, and Evanston’s 1890 blue laws that banned ice cream sodas on Sundays. Then we weigh the rival claims of Ithaca and Two Rivers, Wisconsin, before exploring how the sundae evolved into the banana split, the parfait, and the tin roof sundae.

• Two theories for the S-U-N-D-A-E spelling: dodging a trademark or avoiding religious offense
• How Evanston confectioners created a soda without the soda to comply with blue laws
• Why the Two Rivers claim of 1881 wobbles when you do the math on Edward Berners’ age
• Ithaca’s paper trail: the April 5, 1892 ad in the Ithaca Daily Journal for a cherry sundae
• The golden age of the soda fountain, the boat-shaped banana split dish, and Nebraska’s tin roof sundae