Sliced Bread

 Sliced bread went on sale in the USA in 1928. The first recorded use of the phrase ‘the best thing since sliced bread’ (or one just like it) was in 1952 when a comedian called Red Skelton said in a newspaper that television was ‘the greatest thing since sliced bread’.

Adverts for sliced bread said it was the greatest thing since wrapped bread (wrapped in waxed paper). So the best thing before sliced bread was wrapped bread.