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Food

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.

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10:47 minTV-PG
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Top 10 Kitchen Inventions That Changed Food Forever

From fire to the air fryer, humans have a remarkable history of innovating in the kitchen. Discover the 10 kitchen inventions that changed food forever, in this episode of History Countdown.

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TV-PG

Flashback: America Loves Coffee

Coffee is one of America’s favorite drinks, even going back to the country’s earliest days. As shown in this caffeinated tribute, the 1960s were no exception.

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8:03 minTV-PG

8 Foods You Didn’t Know Were Invented in America

From spaghetti and meatballs to General Tso’s chicken, many dishes Americans associate with international cuisine were actually invented in the U.S. Here are eight foods you didn’t know were invented in America.

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1:01 minTV-PG

Makoto Hagiwara Popularizes the Fortune Cookie

It’s 1914 and visitors to the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco are about to have their fortunes told by a cookie.

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A fall harvest of corn, pumpkins and squash.

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7 Foods Developed by Native Americans

These dietary staples were cultivated over thousands of years by Indigenous peoples of America.

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a plate brimming with homemade chocolate chip cookies

8 Defining Moments in the History of the Chocolate Chip Cookie

Americans consume 7 billion chocolate chip cookies annually—and not just top seller Chips Ahoy! and its numerous packaged cookie competitors. Chocolate chip cookies also represent nearly half of all homemade cookies baked in the U.S. The comforting treat got its start during the Great Depression, when “cookies were a way of maintaining some normalcy while […]

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Marines drinking coffee, circa 1944.

How Coffee Fueled US Troops During World War II

Coffee increased energy and alertness on the battlefield, improved morale and was even used by medics to help prevent shock.

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Chinese dim sum at a restaurant.

What’s Behind the Jewish Tradition of Eating Chinese Food on Christmas?

Dim sum for Christmas? The experiences of immigrants in New York explain how the tradition of Jews eating at Chinese restaurants on the Christian holiday began.

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This Day in History

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1945

First patent filed for the microwave

Food
1958

Momofuku Ando creates the first mass‑market instant ramen

Food
1985

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

Food
1971

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

Food
1964

Pop‑Tarts debut

Food
1978

Ben & Jerry’s opens its first ice cream shop

Food
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