1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,000 Speaker 1: All right, So you think about breakfast and what's the 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:05,840 Speaker 1: first thing that pops into your mind. Well, for a 3 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:09,160 Speaker 1: lot of folks, it's cereal, a quick bowl of sweet, 4 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:13,080 Speaker 1: crunchy goodness before racing out the door. But where did 5 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: that come from? I'm Patty Steele. An industrial kitchen accident 6 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:21,800 Speaker 1: and a family feud. It's a nasty breakfast battle. Next 7 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: on the backstory. We're back with the backstory. In the 8 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:32,080 Speaker 1: late eighteen hundreds, if you walked into the quiet, very 9 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:36,919 Speaker 1: austere Battle Creek Sanitarium, a health resort in Battle Creek, Michigan, 10 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: breakfast didn't look anything like it looks today. No sugary 11 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 1: cereals like crosted flakes or fruit loops, no colorful boxes, 12 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: no cute little cartoon mascots. Instead, guests at the sanitarium 13 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:54,120 Speaker 1: were served odd and tasteless health foods designed to cure 14 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: the ailments that modern life had inflicted on folks. And 15 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 1: one of those foods was born completely by accident and 16 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:05,320 Speaker 1: also led to a bitter family feud. The guy running 17 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 1: the sanitarium was John Harvey Kellogg, a doctor with some 18 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:14,480 Speaker 1: extremely unusual ideas. There were rumors he'd never consummated his 19 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: marriage with his wife, but he and Ella had forty 20 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:22,320 Speaker 1: two adopted children. Yes, I said forty two. Imagine making 21 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 1: breakfast for them. In the nineteenth century, most Americans ate 22 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: heavy breakfasts. They started their day with a plateful of meat, 23 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: fried potatoes, biscuits, and gravy if they could afford all that. 24 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: John Kellogg was convinced that all that rich food was 25 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:42,760 Speaker 1: destroying people's health and, in his mind, even their morality. 26 00:01:42,840 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: He believed that a really bland diet of grains and 27 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: vegetables could purify the body in the mind because the 28 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: more exciting foods were well too exciting. He wanted everybody 29 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 1: to just calm down. His sanitarium was based on lifestyle 30 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 1: recommendations from the Seventh Day Advance his church, but it 31 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: attracted wealthy clientele from across the country. Some came for 32 00:02:05,880 --> 00:02:09,080 Speaker 1: medical treatment, others came for what we now call a 33 00:02:09,120 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: wellness retreat. They did hydrotherapy, electro therapy, cold air cure, 34 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 1: and physical therapy involving some exercise and calm, quiet relaxation, 35 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:24,200 Speaker 1: all with a little weight loss thrown in. But Kellogg 36 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:28,079 Speaker 1: had one problem. Healthy food in the eighteen nineties was 37 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: super boring, so to keep his guests happy but still 38 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: healthy and not too excited. He wanted to jazz it 39 00:02:35,480 --> 00:02:39,240 Speaker 1: up just to touch. He experimented constantly in the kitchen, 40 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: trying to create new grain based foods that were both 41 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: nutritious and easy to digest and at least pleasant to eat, 42 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: if not exciting. Helping him run the place and the 43 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: kitchen was his younger brother, will Keith Kellogg. Together they 44 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 1: stumbled onto a recipe fail that would change breakfast forever. 45 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,680 Speaker 1: It's eighteen ninety four and one evening. The brothers are 46 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: in the test kitchen experimenting with boiled wheat. The idea 47 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: was to cook the grain, press it into sheets, bake it, 48 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 1: and create a new digestible food for patients. But something 49 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: went wrong. They left a batch of cooked wheat sitting 50 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: out over night, which would normally have ruined it, but 51 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: instead of throwing it away, they decided to run it 52 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 1: through the rollers anyway, pressing it flat, and then something 53 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 1: unexpected happened. Instead of forming a sheet of dough like 54 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 1: it did in other experiments, the dried wheat broke into 55 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: thin flakes. When they toasted the flakes in the oven, 56 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: they became crispy, light and surprisingly good voila sort of 57 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: early wheaties. The guests at the sanitarium loved it. The 58 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: accidental invention had a name, flaked Cereal. Pretty soon, the 59 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: guys began experimenting with different grains. One variation that worked 60 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:02,880 Speaker 1: really well corn. The flakes were lighter, crispier, and easy 61 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: to mass produce, and before long, patients at the sanitarium 62 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,880 Speaker 1: were eating the first version of what would become corn flakes. 63 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 1: But a lot of times, success breeds problems. The brothers 64 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 1: ran into two conflicts that ruined their relationship forever. First 65 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: of all, they had totally different visions for what should 66 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:26,159 Speaker 1: happen next, and that's where the real story begins. Doctor 67 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: John Kellogg thought the cereal should remain a health food 68 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:33,680 Speaker 1: served only at the sanitarium. He wanted it plain, unsweetened, 69 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:37,680 Speaker 1: and medicinal. But his brother Will saw much bigger opportunity. 70 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: He believed the flakes could become a mass market product, 71 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:46,360 Speaker 1: a simple breakfast food sold to families across America. The problem. 72 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: Will thought sugar was exactly what they needed to make 73 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: it sell. As for John, he hated the idea of 74 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:56,520 Speaker 1: adding sugar even worse, Doctor John decided to invite a 75 00:04:56,560 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: guy named C. W. Post into the test kitchen. Post 76 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:03,479 Speaker 1: was a patient at the sanitarium and couldn't pay his bill, 77 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: so John invited him to work in the kitchen, where he, 78 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: of course saw how the flakes were made. Will was furious. 79 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:14,359 Speaker 1: He wanted it to be a company secret, and Will 80 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: was right. CW. Post secretly copied the process, which had 81 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: no patent, and started his own cereal company, Post Cereals, 82 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: which later became General Foods. The brother's arguments exploded into 83 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: a bitter feud, so in nineteen oh six, Will made 84 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: a huge move. He left his brother's company and founded 85 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 1: his own, the Battle Creek Toasted corn Flake Company. He 86 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 1: stole the recipe from John, but he then sweetened the 87 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:46,160 Speaker 1: cereal just a bit, packaged it in boxes, and marked 88 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 1: it across the nation. His gamble paid off. Within a 89 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 1: few years, cornflakes were flying off grocery store shelves. Mothers 90 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: used to frying up meat, eggs, and potatoes. Raved about 91 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 1: pouring breakfast out of a box, Will even came up 92 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:04,000 Speaker 1: with the idea of putting a toy in the cereal box, 93 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: adding a coloring book to the package. In nineteen oh nine, 94 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:10,840 Speaker 1: for him. It was all about business. Kids loved it, 95 00:06:10,960 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: moms were good with it, and they could put fewer 96 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: cornflakes in the box because of the room the coloring 97 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 1: book took up. He was the ultimate capitalist. Eventually, his 98 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:24,719 Speaker 1: company would be renamed the Kellogg Company, becoming one of 99 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: the largest food brands in the world, but the brother's 100 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 1: relationship never recovered. They spent years fighting in court. The 101 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:35,720 Speaker 1: lawsuits hinged on use of the family name, as well 102 00:06:35,760 --> 00:06:39,719 Speaker 1: as who had the right to manufacture toasted cereal. Later on, 103 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,560 Speaker 1: Will even stole the recipe for shredded wheat from his 104 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:46,599 Speaker 1: brother and created Kellogg's Shredded Wheat. That led to another 105 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: court battle. It was easy to steal a recipe in 106 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 1: those days, as long as you changed one little ingredient. 107 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:57,320 Speaker 1: For Will. That magic ingredient was sugar. He eventually won 108 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 1: full rights from his older brother with the or It's even, 109 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,599 Speaker 1: allowing him to collect profits John had made from his 110 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 1: own cereals. The brothers never spoke again, and when Will died, 111 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:11,800 Speaker 1: he left a massive fortune. Some call him the Bill 112 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: Gates of his day, not only because of what he created, 113 00:07:15,520 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: but also because he gave a fortune to charity. Problem 114 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 1: is he was really an unlikable guy. In fact, one 115 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:26,680 Speaker 1: of his grandsons said nobody, but nobody shed a tear 116 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: at his funeral. Two brothers, one kitchen fail, a lifetime feud. 117 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 1: These days, millions of people start off their mornings with cereal. 118 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: But it all goes back to a little kitchen experiment 119 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: in Battle Creek when two brothers forgot about a pot 120 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: of wheat overnight. From that mistake came an entirely new industry, 121 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: a reminder never to give up that sometimes the most 122 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: ordinary accidents create the most extraordinary outcomes. Just make sure 123 00:07:57,560 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 1: you and your partner are on the same page. Hope 124 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: you're enjoying The Backstory with Patty Steele. Please leave a 125 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,400 Speaker 1: review and follow or subscribe for free to get new 126 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: episodes delivered automatically. Also feel free to DM me if 127 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: you have a story you'd like me to cover and 128 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,480 Speaker 1: take a deep dive into. On Facebook, It's Patty Steele 129 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: and on Instagram Real Patty Steele. I'm Patty Steele. The 130 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: Backstories a production of iHeartMedia, Premiere Networks, the Elvis Duran Group, 131 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: and Steel Trap Productions. Our producer is Doug Fraser. Our 132 00:08:32,400 --> 00:08:36,560 Speaker 1: writer Jake Kushner. We have new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. 133 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:39,120 Speaker 1: Feel free to reach out to me with comments and 134 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:43,160 Speaker 1: even story suggestions on Instagram at real Patty Steele and 135 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,200 Speaker 1: on Facebook at Patty Steele. Thanks for listening to the 136 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: Backstory with Patty Steele, the pieces of history you didn't 137 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 1: know you needed to know.