Long ago, in the late 1800s, people in America used to eat heavy and greasy foods for breakfast. This often made them feel sick. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, who worked at a health center called the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, wanted to change this. He wanted to make a healthier breakfast for everyone.
In 1887, Dr. Kellogg and his brother, Will Keith Kellogg, started mixing cornmeal and oatmeal to make something new. They added nuts, baked the mixture into biscuits, and then crumbled them into small pieces. They called this creation “granula.” But because another person, James Caleb Jackson, had a similar product with the same name, they changed it to “granola.”
One day, while making crackers, the Kellogg brothers got distracted and left their wheat dough to cool. When they came back, the dough had turned crispy. When they rolled it out, it broke into flakes instead of a big sheet. The people at the spa where they worked loved these flakes! This made the brothers try the same thing with corn in 1898, and they invented cornflakes.
Even though cornflakes were a big hit, the brothers had a disagreement. John wanted to keep the flakes plain and healthy. Will thought adding sugar would make them taste better and sell more. This disagreement caused them to split up.
In 1906, Will started his own company called the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company. He added sugar to the cornflakes, and they became very popular!
After a long legal battle over the Kellogg name, Will won the rights to use it. His company became the Kellogg’s Cereal Company that we know today. Adding sugar to cornflakes helped make them a favorite breakfast for many people.
The story of cornflakes is an exciting tale of new ideas, disagreements, and success. Today, with many flavors to choose from, Kellogg’s is a well-loved name in breakfast cereals all around the world.
Experiment with Flakes: Try making your own “flakes” at home! With the help of an adult, mix some flour and water to make a dough. Roll it out and let it dry for a bit. Then, try breaking it into small pieces. What do you notice about the texture and taste? How do you think this compares to the Kellogg brothers’ discovery?
Breakfast Around the World: Research what children in other countries eat for breakfast. Make a list of different breakfast foods from at least three different countries. How do these breakfasts compare to cornflakes? Share your findings with your class and discuss why breakfast choices might be different around the world.
Math with Cornflakes: Imagine you have a box of cornflakes that costs $3.50. If you buy three boxes, how much will it cost in total? Now, if there is a discount of $0.50 per box, how much will you save on three boxes? Use the equation $$text{Total Cost} = text{Price per Box} times text{Number of Boxes}$$ to calculate the total cost before and after the discount.
