George Speck and Katie Speck Wicks, American heroes 😭🙏

Explanation: George Speck was a mixed-race man who ran a restaurant in New York state during the late 19th century. While recipes for thin-cut fried potatoes predate George Speck, Mr. Speck popularized the potato chip regionally (to the point that they were known for a time as ‘Saratoga chips’, since his restaurant was located in Saratoga Springs). The modern form of the chip so widely-used at Speck’s establishment was supposedly created by accident by his sister, Katie Speck Wicks.

The most credible version is that Katie Speck Wicks invented the chip in an accident not dissimilar to the culinary misfire in which the brownie was born (from a mix-up of cake and fudge). “Aunt Katie,” who also worked at Moon’s Lake House, was frying crullers and peeling potatoes at the same time. A thin slice of potato found its way into the frying oil for the crullers, and Katie fished it out. Noticing the chip, Crum tasted it and said, “Hm hm, that’s good. How did you make it?” After Katie described the accident, Crum replied, “That’s a good accident. We’ll have plenty of these."

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/potato-chips/