Where was Hagen Das Ice cream first manufactured and by who?  I
believe it might have been in the Bronx New York in someone's
basement?

Hi fdr1933:

The Häagen-Dazs website has a very nice recap of the history of the ice cream:

Häagen-Dazs - Brand History
URL: http://www.haagen-dazs.com/coibrh.do
Quote: 
***************
Reuben Mattus, a young entrepreneur with a passion for quality and a
vision for creating the finest ice cream, worked in his mother's ice
cream business selling fruit ice and ice cream pops from a horse drawn
wagon in the bustling streets of the Bronx, New York. To produce the
finest ice cream available, he insisted on using only the finest,
purest ingredients.

The family business grew and prospered throughout the 1930's, 40's and
50's, and by 1961 Mr. Mattus decided to form a new company dedicated
to his ice cream vision. He called his new brand Häagen-Dazs, to
convey an aura of the old-world traditions and craftsmanship to which
he remained dedicated.

Häagen-Dazs started out with only three flavors: vanilla, chocolate
and coffee. But Mr. Mattus' passion for quality soon took him to the
four corners of the globe. His unique ice cream recipes included dark
chocolate from Belgium and hand picked vanilla beans from Madagascar,
creating distinctive and indulgent taste experiences.
**************************

Search Strategy (on Google): 
* haagen ice cream

I hope this helps!

websearcher