On March 6, 1912, grocers in Hoboken, N.J., began selling tins of Oreo Biscuits for 30 cents a pound. Nearly 500 billion "biscuits" in scores of iterations later, it is the bestselling cookie in China. Oh, and the rest of the planet, as well. A few more fun facts about the 100-year-old Nabisco treat:• Two versions debuted in 1912, with cream and lemon meringue fillings. The latter was discontinued in the 1920s.
• Also debuting in 1912: Morton Salt, Hellmann's Mayonnaise, Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce, the first canned chili con carne, the Whitman Sampler and the Girl Scouts (but not their cookies).
• Elsewhere in 1912: Titanic sinks; Republic of China established; Fenway Park opens; Arizona and New Mexico become states; Woodrow Wilson routs incumbent William Howard Taft in presidential election.
• The name was changed to Oreo Sandwich in 1921, Oreo Creme Sandwich in 1948 and Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookie in 1974.
• Products/flavors have included Blueberry Ice Cream Oreo, Football Oreo, Banana Split Creme Oreo and Oreo Green Tea Ice Cream.
• On the shelves now are Birthday Cake Oreos, which have multicolored sprinkles mixed in with the cream and will be on shelves for six to eight weeks. They check in at 140 calories and 6 grams of fat for two cookies.
• Oreos became part of Dairy Queen Blizzards in 1985 and remain the top-selling version of the ice cream treat.
• During the 20th century, many Jewish children ate Hydrox cookies rather than Oreos because the latter contained lard and weren't kosher. Oreos no longer are made with lard, and Hydrox was discontinued in 1999.
