A fall harvest of corn, pumpkins and squash.

1980s USA Betty Crocker Magazine Plate

Food is an integral part of human history, serving as both sustenance and a symbol of culture, trade and power. From the earliest days of hunter-gatherers to modern-day globalization, what people eat has influenced the course of history.

Food

Food is an integral part of human history, serving as both sustenance and a symbol of culture, trade and power.

Food Archives | HISTORY

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HISTORY

The 1970s was an era when the women's rights, gay rights and environmental movements gained momentum. The Vietnam War came to a close, the Watergate scandal led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, the United States ended direct involvement in the Vietnam War and President Jimmy Carter grappled with an energy crisis, inflation and the Iran Hostage Crisis.

1970s

1971

World War II ended in 1945, after Germany surrendered in May and Japan capitulated in August, days after powerful new atomic bombs exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Two months later, 29 nations ratified a charter to form the United Nations. Writer George Orwell coined the term “cold war,” predicting icy relations between the U.S. and U.S.S.R., while popular songs like “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" and “Sentimental Journey” reflected the stateside mood as some 4 million G.I.s returned home.

1945

Inventions from the telephone to the Model T and the computer have defined human history, and inventors like Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney and Alexander Graham Bell have transformed our society.

Inventions & Science

1978

Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution in 1964, authorizing major U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Martin Luther King Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize, and President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. China tested its first atomic bomb, the Beatles made their first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and Ford unveiled its first Mustang at the New York World’s Fair. Pop-Tarts debuted, while Diet Pepsi bubbled onto the market, the nation’s first mass-distributed diet soda.

Food

Videos

Top 10 Kitchen Inventions That Changed Food Forever

Flashback: America Loves Coffee

8 Foods You Didn’t Know Were Invented in America

Makoto Hagiwara Popularizes the Fortune Cookie

Stories

7 Foods Developed by Native Americans

9 of the Worst Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in America

7 Juneteenth Foods and Traditions

Historic Food Mascots

This Day in History

First patent filed for the microwave

Momofuku Ando creates the first mass‑market instant ramen

New Coke debuts, one of the biggest product flops in history

Starbucks opens its first store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market

Pop‑Tarts debut

Ben & Jerry’s opens its first ice cream shop