Soda fountains reached their height of popularity in the 1940s & 1950s, where the ice cream soda became a staple. While there are few true soda fountains left today, the culture lives on in homes, restaurants, and ice cream parlors across America.

The ice cream float is another name for ice cream soda, invented by Robert Green in Philadelphia in the late 19th century. Green operated a soda shop and combined carbonated water, syrup, and (note: not ice cream) cream. Local lore is that one day Green ran out of cream and substituted ice cream – and his daily incoming went from $6 to $600.

A root beer float is an ice cream float where root beer-flavored syrup is used.