On This Day

Pharmacists John Lea and William Perrins manufacture Worcestershire sauce

Worcestershire sauce or Worcester sauce ( WUUST-ər (-shər)) is a fermented condiment invented by the pharmacists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins in Worcester, Worcestershire, England,...

Worcestershire sauce or Worcester sauce ( WUUST-ər (-shər)) is a fermented condiment invented by the pharmacists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, during the first half of the 19th century. They later formed the company Lea & Perrins. Worcestershire sauce has been a generic term since 1876, when the High Court of Justice ruled that Lea & Perrins did not own a trademark for the name "Worcestershire".

Worcestershire sauce is used on steaks, hamburgers, and other finished dishes, and to flavour cocktails such as the Bloody Mary and Caesar. It is also used to augment recipes such as Welsh rarebit, Caesar salad, Oysters Kirkpatrick, and devilled eggs.

Historical Significance

Worcestershire sauce or Worcester sauce ( WUUST-ər (-shər)) is a fermented condiment invented by the pharmacists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, during the first half of the 19th century.

Events Before

  1. Author Harriet Beecher (24) weds educator Calvin Ellis Stowe (33) in Cincinnati, Ohio

    Author Harriet Beecher (24) weds educator Calvin Ellis Stowe (33) in Cincinnati, Ohio

  2. The Alamo is besieged for 13 days until March 6 by the Mexican army under General Santa Anna; the entire garrison is eve

    The Alamo is besieged for 13 days until March 6 by the Mexican army under General Santa Anna; the entire garrison is eventually killed

  3. Battle of the Alamo: After 13 days of fighting, 1,500 to 3,000 Mexican soldiers overwhelm the Texan defenders, killing 1

    Battle of the Alamo: After 13 days of fighting, 1,500 to 3,000 Mexican soldiers overwhelm the Texan defenders, killing 182 to 257 Texans, including William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett

  4. English novelist and social critic Charles Dickens (24) marries Catherine Thomson Hogarth (20)

    Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and social critic.

  5. Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, later known as King Dom Fernando II upon the bir

    Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, later known as King Dom Fernando II upon the birth of their son, Pedro V of Portugal

Events After

  1. First official horse race in South Australia takes place in Adelaide

    Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the fifth-most populous city in Australia.

  2. Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail demonstrate their telegraph machine in New Jersey

    Samuel Finley Breese Morse (April 27, 1791 – April 2, 1872) was an American inventor and painter.

  3. First public demonstration of telegraph messages sent using dots and dashes at Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Je

    First public demonstration of telegraph messages sent using dots and dashes at Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey, by Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail

  4. Coronation of Queen Victoria, aged 19, during a five-hour ceremony at Westminster Abbey, London [1]

    The coronation of Victoria as queen of the United Kingdom took place on Thursday, 28 June 1838, just over a year after she succeeded to the throne of the United Kingdom at the age of 18.

  5. Huskar Pit Disaster: 26 children drown while trying to escape flooding in the Silkstone Colliery in England. Leads to th

    Huskar Pit Disaster: 26 children drown while trying to escape flooding in the Silkstone Colliery in England. Leads to the 1842 Mines Act, which bans women and children from working underground. [1]

More from the 1830s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 28, 1837?
Worcestershire sauce or Worcester sauce ( WUUST-ər (-shər)) is a fermented condiment invented by the pharmacists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, during the first half of the 19th century. They later formed the company Lea & Perrins. Worcestershire sauce has been a generic term since 1876, when the High Court of Justice ruled that Lea & Perrins did not own a trademark for the name "Worcestershire".
Why is Pharmacists John Lea and William Perrins manufacture Worcestershire sauce significant?
Worcestershire sauce or Worcester sauce ( WUUST-ər (-shər)) is a fermented condiment invented by the pharmacists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins in Worcester, Worcestershire, England, during the first half of the 19th century.

Explore More