Unusual Inventions - The Corn Flake

by Startacus Admin

Most of us know how important breakfast is for getting the brain going first thing in the morning. What we eat for breakfast may have evolved for many of us from bacon and eggs to healthy oats, skimmed milk and fruit, however the same philosophy still applies that ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’.

In terms of long term popularity though, after bacon and eggs, the mighty Kellogg's Corn Flakes must come a close second. But how many of us are aware of the unusual and accidental way that Will Keith Kellogg invented the now infamous Corn Flake? Well the story goes....

Back at the end of the 19th Century, Kellogg’s brother was a Doctor based at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan and Kellogg would help his brother researching the patients’ dietary requirements and food substitutes.

One day Kellogg over-boiled a pot of cooking wheat and once it had been left for a few hours, Kellogg intrigued to see what he had created, rolled and baked the flaky dough. **Bingo** - the flaky dough, once baked, become crispy and the infamous Kellogg Corn Flake was born!

He patented the product in 1884, and whilst the product and its’ name may have changed over the next few years a little, by 1906, Will Kellogg had started his own Corn Flake company, which eventually became the Kellogg Company that we all know today.

But what does that teach us all? Well perhaps, apart from the obvious that mistakes can often lead to inventions, it also teaches us that you don’t always need to be an expert in a subject, to make something special that just works! So for all you wannabe chefs, and food based startups, keep baking, cooking, stirring, and experimenting - you never know what delights may be born (even if you did not mean it!)

Hungry for more unusual inventions? Check out our story about the X-RAY! 

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Published on: 10th December 2012