The anti-aphrodisiac

Did you know that on today in 1894, John Harvey Kellogg patented cornflakes?

Now, not everyone may be a cornflake fan, but I bet most of you didn’t know how they started. During my fine college education I was told this story and confirmed it with Wikipedia today. So read and enjoy:

The history of corn flakes goes back to the late 19th century, when a group of Seventh-day Adventists began to develop new food to meet the standards of their strict vegetarian diet. Members of the group experimented with a number of different grains, including wheat, oats, rice, and of course, corn. In 1894, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, the superintendent of The Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan and an Adventist, used these recipes as part of a strict vegetarian regimen for his patients, which also included no alcohol, tobacco, or caffeine. The diet he imposed consisted entirely of bland foods, since he believed in sexual abstinence and felt that spicy or sweet foods would increase passions. So logically, cornflakes would have an anti-aphrodisiac property.

This idea for corn flakes began by accident when Dr. Kellogg and his brother, Will Keith Kellogg, left some cooked wheat to sit, while they attended to some pressing matters at the sanitarium. When they returned, they found that the wheat had gone stale, but being on a strict budget, they decided to continue to process it by forcing it through rollers, hoping to obtain long sheets of the dough. To their surprise, what they got instead was flakes, which they toasted and served to their patients. This event occurred on approximately April 14, 1894, and a patent for the product was registered on May 31 under the name Granose.

So grab a bowl and spoon and eat your cornflakes today. Just remember not to partake if you're looking for something to get you in the mood.