• Subscribe Now
  • Today In History
  • Wars & Events
    • The Russia–Ukraine War
    • American Revolution
    • The Civil War
    • World War I
    • World War II
    • Cold War
    • Korean War
    • Vietnam War
    • Global War on Terror
    • Movements
      • Women’s Rights
      • Civil Rights
      • Abolition of Slavery
  • Famous People
    • U.S. Presidents
    • World Leaders
    • Military Leaders
    • Outlaws & Lawmen
    • Activists
    • Artists & Writers
    • Celebrities
    • Scientists
    • Philosophers
  • Eras
    • Modern Era
      • 2000s
      • 1900s
      • 1800s
    • Early Modern
      • 1700s
      • 1600s
      • 1500s
    • The Middle Ages
    • Classical Era
    • Prehistory
  • Topics
    • Black History
    • Slavery
    • Women’s History
    • Prisoners of War
    • Firsthand Accounts
    • Technology & Weaponry
    • Aviation & Spaceflight
    • Naval & Maritime
    • Politics
    • Military History
    • Art & Literature
    • News
    • Entertainment & Culture
    • Historical Figures
    • Photography
    • Wild West
    • Social History
    • Native American History
  • Magazines
    • American History
    • America’s Civil War
    • Aviation History
    • Civil War Times
    • Military History
    • Military History Quarterly
    • Vietnam
    • Wild West
    • World War II
  • Newsletters
  • Podcasts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
Skip to content
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
HistoryNet

HistoryNet

The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet.

  • Subscribe Now
  • Today In History
  • Wars & Events
    • The Russia–Ukraine War
    • American Revolution
    • The Civil War
    • World War I
    • World War II
    • Cold War
    • Korean War
    • Vietnam War
    • Global War on Terror
    • Movements
      • Women’s Rights
      • Civil Rights
      • Abolition of Slavery
  • Famous People
    • U.S. Presidents
    • World Leaders
    • Military Leaders
    • Outlaws & Lawmen
    • Activists
    • Artists & Writers
    • Celebrities
    • Scientists
    • Philosophers
  • Eras
    • Modern Era
      • 2000s
      • 1900s
      • 1800s
    • Early Modern
      • 1700s
      • 1600s
      • 1500s
    • The Middle Ages
    • Classical Era
    • Prehistory
  • Topics
    • Black History
    • Slavery
    • Women’s History
    • Prisoners of War
    • Firsthand Accounts
    • Technology & Weaponry
    • Aviation & Spaceflight
    • Naval & Maritime
    • Politics
    • Military History
    • Art & Literature
    • News
    • Entertainment & Culture
    • Historical Figures
    • Photography
    • Wild West
    • Social History
    • Native American History
  • Magazines
    • American History
    • America’s Civil War
    • Aviation History
    • Civil War Times
    • Military History
    • Military History Quarterly
    • Vietnam
    • Wild West
    • World War II
  • Newsletters
  • Podcasts
Posted inUncategorized

The First: Breakfast Cereal

by Christine M. Kreiser9/27/2017
Share This Article

There were no prizes at the bottom of a Granula tin. Good health was the reward for those who chomped their way through the dense, gritty cereal made from twice-baked whole wheat flour—and nothing else. Dr. James Caleb Jackson introduced Granula in 1863 as a convenient, ready-to-eat breakfast food, although “ready to eat” was a bit misleading. The cereal had to be soaked overnight in milk or water before it could be chewed (making it the home-front equivalent of hardtack, a staple for Civil War soldiers serving in the Union Army). Jackson was a health reformer whose sanitorium in Dansville, N.Y., specialized in hydrotherapy, cold water treatments for a variety of physical ills. Along with the water cures and plenty of exercise, Jackson advocated a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and unprocessed grains and total abstinence from alcohol and tobacco. Another proponent of clean living, John Harvey Kellogg, appropriated Jackson’s idea and product name in 1881 and began making a cereal that substituted rolled oats for the wheat flour. To avoid a lawsuit, Kellogg changed the name of his cereal from Granula to something now recognized by generations of health-conscious eaters: granola.

 

Originally published in the October 2011 issue of American History. To subscribe, click here.  

Share This Article
by Christine M. Kreiser

more by Christine M. Kreiser

    Dive deeper

    • American History
    • Food

    Citation information

    Christine M. Kreiser (6/21/2025) The First: Breakfast Cereal. HistoryNet Retrieved from https://www.historynet.com/first-breakfast-cereal/.
    "The First: Breakfast Cereal."Christine M. Kreiser - 6/21/2025, https://www.historynet.com/first-breakfast-cereal/
    Christine M. Kreiser 9/27/2017 The First: Breakfast Cereal., viewed 6/21/2025,<https://www.historynet.com/first-breakfast-cereal/>
    Christine M. Kreiser - The First: Breakfast Cereal. [Internet]. [Accessed 6/21/2025]. Available from: https://www.historynet.com/first-breakfast-cereal/
    Christine M. Kreiser. "The First: Breakfast Cereal." Christine M. Kreiser - Accessed 6/21/2025. https://www.historynet.com/first-breakfast-cereal/
    "The First: Breakfast Cereal." Christine M. Kreiser [Online]. Available: https://www.historynet.com/first-breakfast-cereal/. [Accessed: 6/21/2025]

    Related stories

    Stories

    Portfolio: Images of War as Landscape

    Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, […]

    Stories

    Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot

    In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earhart’s disappearance.

    Buffalo Bill Cody
    Stories

    10 Pivotal Events in the Life of Buffalo Bill

    William Frederick Cody (1846-1917) led a signal life, from his youthful exploits with the Pony Express and in service as a U.S. Army scout to his globetrotting days as a showman and international icon Buffalo Bill.

    ww2-homefront-poster-war-bond
    Portfolio

    During the War Years, Posters From the American Homefront Told You What to Do — And What Not to Do

    If you needed some motivation during the war years, there was probably a poster for that.

    HistoryNet
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    “History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.”

    David McCullough, author of “1776”

    HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the world’s largest publisher of history magazines. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines.

    Our Magazines

    • American History
    • America’s Civil War
    • Aviation History
    • Civil War Times
    • Military History
    • Military History Quarterly
    • Vietnam
    • Wild West
    • World War II

    About Us

    • What Is HistoryNet.com?
    • Advertise With Us
    • Careers
    • Meet Our Staff!

    Stay Curious

    Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians.

    sign me up!

    © 2025 HistoryNet.
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Service