The history of corn flakes, the cereal that dramatically changed breakfast habits in America and worldwide, began when two brothers in Battle Creek accidentally discovered how to make flaked cereal from wheat grain 130 years ago. It’s also a tragic tale of a bitter sibling rivalry that consumed their lives for generations until they were, literally, on their deathbeds.
John H. Kellogg, a renowned doctor and author, and his brother, Will K. Kellogg, eight years his junior, each claimed credit for the breakthrough of first making flakes from wheat crumbs before using corn to produce the iconic breakfast favorite. Although various reports have blurred the narrative of who was first, most biographers agree a boiled batch of wheat-berry dough that John Kellogg most likely had mixed to make bread was forgotten on a counter overnight, and that oversight began a process that eventually made the Kellogg name famous.
Instead of throwing out the now-fermenting dough mixture the next morning, John and Will decided to roll the mixture flat, which caused it to break into flakes. The brothers baked the flakes and added milk, and were pleased with the positive feedback they received from their taste-testers. A patent for “Flaked Cereals and Process of Preparing Same” was issued to John H. Kellogg on May 31, 1895. The patent recognition, however, triggered the Kelloggs’ first public spat, as Will insisted he should have been recognized and given more credit for the discovery of flaked cereal.
The invention and worldwide acclaim for corn flakes would come a few years later, when the development further fueled the dysfunctional relationship between the brothers that likely emanated from their abnormal childhood.
John Kellogg was born in 1852 on a farm in Livingston County. His brother, Will, was born after the family moved to Battle Creek. Will was the seventh of their father’s 16 children, which included six from his previous marriage. The family’s early frontier living was hard on the group. Six of the children died within a nine-year span of various infectious diseases.
John survived tuberculosis, although he had to deal with one functioning lung for the rest of his life. He also suffered from painful bowel and digestion disorders, precursors of his later preoccupation with diets and healthy eating habits. Their parents, John Preston Kellogg and his wife, Ann, were reluctant to educate their children, assuming it wasn’t worth the effort since they would probably die from disease anyway. They were also converts to a newly founded religion: the Seventh-day Adventists, whose followers believed the Second Coming of Jesus was imminent. Since the world could come to an end at any time, the parents reasoned that education didn’t matter.
John was their favorite and brightest child, while Will was dismissed as unintelligent and dim-witted. His parents rarely intervened when John repeatedly bullied and verbally and physically abused his brother. The family’s relocation to Battle Creek was spurred by the parents’ desire to join the large founding Seventh-day Adventist congregation in that city. John Preston Kellogg also saw a business opportunity to start what became a thriving broom factory.
Over time, the Kelloggs relaxed their views somewhat on education and allowed John to attend grammar school. The boy’s reading skills were so pronounced, he attracted the attention of the most influential elders in the church — James and Ellen White, the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist faith. John was 12 years old when the Whites hired him as a novice to work in the church’s print shop. He rose from errand boy to editorial assistant, and in the process absorbed many of the articles written about the Seventh-day Adventists’ focus on healthy living and eating habits.
At age 20 he enrolled in a teaching course offered by Michigan State Normal School, now Eastern Michigan University. With support from the Whites, John attended a six-month medical course in New Jersey, gained admission to the University of Michigan’s medical school, and upon graduation spent a year of residency at Bellevue Hospital Medical College in New York City. In his mid-20s, he returned to Battle Creek. With the backing of his patrons, the Whites, he was named director of a massive clinic, the Battle Creek Sanitarium, owned by the Seventh-day Adventists.
The San, as it was called, was a multifaceted facility — part hospital, rehab center, and spa. At its peak, the resort-like San accommodated 3,000 guests and patients. The newly minted doctor found it a perfect fit, as his theories for healthy living mirrored the teachings of his church. Treatments for patients at the San espoused by Kellogg included a vegetarian diet, enemas to clear “intestinal flora,” exercise, sunbathing, fresh air, lectures on personal hygiene, drinking plenty of water, good sleep habits, and abstinence from using tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine. He also promoted sexual abstinence, and believed that rich or spicy food stimulated sexual desires and should be avoided in favor of plain, bland-tasting food like grains and nuts.
Will Kellogg’s path to adulthood, meanwhile, was much more painful. His father dismissed teaching him to read as a waste of time, and his mother never warmed up to him. Will was 6 years old when his father put him to work full time, six days a week, in the broom factory. A few years later he was allowed to attend school, but his education ended in the sixth grade when his father pulled him out of class to become a salesman. In his 20s, Will discovered that his perceived lack of intelligence was the result of previously undiagnosed nearsightedness. After receiving glasses, he began extensive self-education and earned a bookkeeping certificate from Parson’s Business College.
In 1880, Will went to work for his brother at the Battle Creek Sanitarium. During a period when Americans were obsessed with digestion and healthy bowel movements, Dr. John Kellogg had become a nationally known health guru. The San attracted presidents, industrialists, celebrities, and reformers. Although hired as a bookkeeper, Will was treated as John’s flunky, required to follow him constantly while taking notes — even during bathroom visits. Visitors sometimes saw John riding a bicycle across the grounds while Will ran alongside, writing.
John and his wife, Ella, spent hours experimenting in the sanitarium test kitchen. John received patents for peanut butter paste, soy milk, Protose (a meat substitute), and medical devices. The brothers’ discovery of baked wheat flakes served with milk became popular with patients, leading Will to begin a mail-order business.
Patient C.W. Post took note — and later copied John’s products to launch Post Cereals, earning millions. Meanwhile, Will, who was handling administration, publishing, and food production for the San, was working up to 120 hours per week for little pay.
Will pushed to improve the cereal’s taste and saw its commercial potential. John opposed adding sugar. Their disagreements led Will to buy the rights to produce corn flakes, and in 1906 he founded the Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Co. His advertising campaigns made Kellogg’s corn flakes famous nationwide.
John later tried to market his own cereal brand with the Kellogg name, sparking a decade-long court fight. In 1920, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in Will’s favor, preventing John from using the family name on cereal products.
The brothers’ estrangement lasted until their deaths. In 1943, a dying John dictated a letter apologizing to Will — but the secretary withheld the letter for eight years. When Will finally received it, he was also near death and nearly blind.
In 2023, WK Kellogg Co was split into two companies. Kellanova became a global snacking company based in Chicago, while WK Kellogg Co remained in Battle Creek. Earlier this year, Italian chocolatier Ferrero Group agreed to buy the cereal company for $3.1 billion. When the deal closes, Battle Creek will remain the Kellogg brand’s North American headquarters.
