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History of Corn Timeline

(c. 7000 BCE – Present)

Corn (maize) originated from the wild grass teosinte and was domesticated by Indigenous peoples in southern Mexico around 9,000 years ago. It became a cornerstone of Mesoamerican civilizations like the Maya and Aztec, spread across the Americas through trade, and was introduced to Europe after 1492. Today, corn is one of the world's most widely grown crops, used for food, animal feed, ethanol fuel, and countless industrial products. Less

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Origins and Invention

Will Kellogg creates flaked cereal

1894

In 1894, Will Kellogg created the flaked breakfast cereal, originally made with wheat, for patients at the Battle Creek Sanitarium where he worked alongside his brother John Kellogg.

Cereal developed at the Battle Creek Sanitarium

1894

The flaked cereal was created in 1894 for patients at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, a famed health facility where Will Kellogg worked with his brother John Kellogg, who served as superintendent.

Image source: Battle Creek Sanitarium

Cereal developed at the Battle Creek Sanitarium

John Kellogg serves as sanitarium superintendent

1894

At the time of the cereal's invention in 1894, John Harvey Kellogg was the superintendent of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, where his younger brother Will assisted him in developing new foods for patients.

Image source: John Harvey Kellogg

John Kellogg serves as sanitarium superintendent

Original recipe made with wheat

1894

The cereal that Will Kellogg created in 1894 was originally made with wheat, before later versions famously came to be made from corn.

Image source: Corn flakes

Original recipe made with wheat

Development of flaked cereal described by family members

1894

The development of the flaked cereal in 1894 has been variously described over the years by John Kellogg, his wife Ella Eaton Kellogg, his younger brother Will, and other family members.

Ella Eaton Kellogg's account of the invention

1894

Among those who gave varying accounts of how the flaked cereal was developed in 1894 was Ella Eaton Kellogg, the wife of John Harvey Kellogg.

Image source: Ella Eaton Kellogg

Ella Eaton Kellogg's account of the invention

Conflicting family accounts of the cereal's origin

1894

Multiple conflicting narratives about the creation of the flaked cereal emerged, as John Kellogg, Ella Eaton Kellogg, Will Kellogg, and other family members each offered their own versions of events surrounding the 1894 development.

Legal and Patent Battles

Patent filed for Flaked Cereals process

May 31, 1895

A patent for 'Flaked Cereals and Process of Preparing Same' was filed on May 31, 1895, protecting the innovative method used to produce the new breakfast food.

Patent granted after legal battle between brothers

1896

The patent for the flaked cereal process was granted in 1896 only after a legal battle between the two Kellogg brothers, John and Will, over rights to the invention.

Image source: Kellogg's

Patent granted after legal battle between brothers

Brothers' dispute over cereal credit

1896

A legal battle erupted between John Kellogg and his brother Will over the flaked cereal, ultimately resolved when the patent for the process was granted in 1896.

Patent issued to John Harvey Kellogg

Apr 14, 1896

On April 14, 1896, the patent for 'Flaked Cereals and Process of Preparing Same' was officially issued to John Harvey Kellogg, securing formal recognition of the flaking process.

Business Growth

Launch of mass-marketed corn flakes

1906

Will Keith Kellogg's decision in 1906 to mass-market the flaked cereal transformed it from a sanitarium health food into a widely available commercial product sold to the general public.

Will Keith Kellogg leaves sanitarium management for business

1906

Having served as business manager of the Battle Creek Sanitarium, Will Keith Kellogg pivoted in 1906 toward commercializing the cereal, seeking to bring it to mass markets.

Image source: Will Keith Kellogg

Will Keith Kellogg leaves sanitarium management for business

Will Kellogg decides to mass-market the cereal

1906

In 1906, Will Keith Kellogg, who had served as the business manager of the sanitarium, decided to try to mass-market the new flaked cereal to a wider public.

Will Kellogg begins manufacturing Rice Krispies

1928

In 1928, following the success of his flaked cereal, Will Kellogg started to manufacture Rice Krispies, another highly successful breakfast cereal for his growing company.

Image source: Rice Krispies

Will Kellogg begins manufacturing Rice Krispies

Rice Krispies first go on sale

1928

Rice Krispies, Will Kellogg's next great hit after corn flakes, first went on sale in 1928 and quickly became another successful breakfast cereal product.

Expansion beyond corn-based cereals

1928

With the 1928 launch of Rice Krispies, Will Kellogg's company expanded its product line beyond corn-based flakes, cementing its place as a leading breakfast cereal manufacturer.

Marketing and Advertising

Free box of cereal offered to winking women

1907

In 1907, Will Kellogg's company ran a memorable ad campaign which offered a free box of cereal to any woman who winked at her grocer, an early example of playful consumer marketing.

Company runs winking grocer ad campaign

1907

An inventive 1907 advertising campaign invited any woman who winked at her grocer to receive a free box of cereal, helping boost awareness and sales of the new product.

Funny Jungleland Moving Pictures Booklet offer

1909

To increase sales, in 1909 Will Kellogg added a special offer: the Funny Jungleland Moving Pictures Booklet, available to anyone who bought two boxes of the cereal.

Two-box purchase premium introduced

1909

The 1909 special offer rewarded customers who bought two boxes of the cereal with the Funny Jungleland Moving Pictures Booklet, an early premium promotion designed to drive larger purchases.

Leo Burnett agency hired for Corn Flakes advertising

1957

In 1957, the Leo Burnett advertising agency created Cornelius The Rooster, also known as Corny, as a mascot for Kellogg's Corn Flakes, marking a new era of brand character marketing.

Image source: Leo Burnett

Leo Burnett agency hired for Corn Flakes advertising

Cornelius The Rooster makes his debut

1957

Cornelius The Rooster, or Corny, created by the Leo Burnett advertising agency, made his debut in 1957, becoming the iconic mascot associated with Kellogg's Corn Flakes.

Cornelius The Rooster appears on Corn Flakes boxes

1957

Following his creation in 1957, Cornelius The Rooster first appeared on boxes of Corn Flakes, giving the product a recognizable and friendly brand face.

Corny featured in television commercials

1957

After debuting on packaging, Cornelius The Rooster went on to appear in television commercials, extending the mascot's reach across broadcast media and boosting the cereal's popularity.

Key Facts

  1. Corn was domesticated from a wild grass called teosinte in the Balsas Valley of southern Mexico around 9,000 years ago.
  2. Indigenous peoples selectively bred corn over thousands of generations, transforming it from a tiny grass seed into the large, productive crop we know today.
  3. Corn was central to Mesoamerican cultures; both the Maya and Aztec civilizations relied on it as their primary staple food and featured it prominently in mythology.
  4. After Columbus's voyages in 1492, corn was carried to Europe and quickly spread across Africa and Asia, becoming a global crop within centuries.
  5. The United States is now the world's largest producer of corn, growing roughly one-third of global supply, much of it used for animal feed, ethanol, and processed foods.

Source

This History of Corn timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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