Today is the last day of Mardi Gras. In honor of the festivities, I wanted to tell you the history of how the Po' boy sandwiches came about. The famous Po' boy sandwiches of New Orleans are said to have been invented in 1929 during the transit strike. Two former streetcar conductors by the names of Bennie and Clovis Martin had opened the Martin Brothers Coffee Stand and Restaurant in the French Market back in 1922. (photo source: http://www.poboyfest.com/history) On July 1, 1929, the transit strike began and the brothers wanted to do something for their former co-workers in the street railway employees' union. To show their support, they made up big roast beef sandwiches on French bread and told their employees to give them free to the "poor boys" on strike. (photo source: http://www.poboyfest.com/history) " We fed those men free of charge until the strike ended. Whenever we saw one of the striking men coming, one of us would say, ...