There are a couple of different stories. From what I have read the true inventor of the cone was Italo Marchiony. He invented the cone in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1895. He immigrated from Italy and sold lemon ices on ice cream on the street from his cart on Wall Street in glass cups. This became expensive and time consuming, so he baked waffles and shaped them into a cup shape while still warm and served his ice cream in them. They became very popular and he eventually had dozens of carts selling 'toots', possibly derived from the Italian word 'tutti' which means 'all', as in eat the whole thing. He applied for a patent in 1902 and was awarded the patent in 1903. Now, here is where it gets fuzzy. The cups actually gained fame at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, when legend has it that an ice cream vendor ran out of cups and turned to the waffle maker in the next booth for help. The waffle maker rolled his waffles into a cone shape and the ice cream cup was born. Some credit this ice cream vendor to be Arnold Fornachou, others say it was a man named Charles Menches. Italo's family contends that it was Italo who ran out of his already famous waffle cups and turned to the vendor for help. It is widely accepted that there were many vendors selling ice cream in cones at the exposition in 1904, and regardless of who invented the cone, that fair is where the cone gained it's widespread recognition and fame. So, the true birthplace? Hoboken, New Jersey. The birthplace for it's recognition? St. Louis, Missouri. The inventor? Well, Italo received his patent a full year before the fair so it safe to say that he is the MAN.