Modern Marvels
Modern Marvels
Cereal: History in a Bowl 12 Season 52 Episode
Move over pancakes, step aside bacon! Cereal is arguably the true breakfast king, a $9-billion industry with an indisputable place in pop-culture history. Full of surprise, nostalgia, and fascinating facts, our special celebrates the colorfulโand crunchyโsaga of a distinctly American breakfast. We see how a Presbyterian minister-turned-health-food-fanaticโSylvester Graham, of โGraham crackerโ fameโturned his countrymen from fried pork breakfasts to grain- and bran-heavy diets in 1824. We reveal the rivalries, tricks, and accidents that turned cereal into a breakfast sensation. And we examine the amazing feats of marketing used to promote the productโfrom creating iconic characters for packaging, to ingenious prizes that drove consumers to the shelves in droves.
