Kellogg Brothers: a family feud and the creation of a cereal empire

凯洛格兄弟:一场家族纷争与谷物帝国的创立

You're Dead to Me

2025-08-22

59 分钟
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单集简介 ...

Greg Jenner is joined in nineteenth-century America by historian Dr Vanessa Heggie and comedian Ed Byrne to learn all about the feuding Kellogg Brothers. John and Will Kellogg were born into a large family in Battle Creek, Michigan, in the middle of the 1800s. Following a childhood marred by illness and death, John earned a medical degree before returning to run the Sanitorium – a health and wellness centre – in his hometown, where he prescribed a variety of treatments both sensible and surreal, including a vegetarian diet, fresh air and exercise, hydrotherapy, and regular enemas! He was soon joined in his wellness venture by his business-minded brother Will, and together they invented a breakfast cereal we still know and love today: cornflakes. But after years of John’s bullying Will left to launch his own business: the Kellogg company. This episode tells the story of these battling brothers and their food and wellness business ventures, exploring everything from their sibling relationship and the competing stories they tell about the invention of their most famous cereal, to John’s Seventh Day Adventist beliefs and his pioneering wife with her meat-free meal replacements. If you’re a fan of family feuds, wellness fads of the past and the history of food, you’ll love our episode on the Kellogg Brothers. If you want more history of science and health with Dr Vaness Heggie, check out our episodes on Victorian Bodybuilding and Arctic Exploration. And for more American entrepreneurs, listen to our episodes on PT Barnum and Madam CJ Walker. You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Charlotte Emily Edgeshaw Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars
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  • Hello and welcome to You're Dead to Me, the Radio 4 comedy podcast that takes history seriously.

  • My name is Greg Jenner.

  • I'm a public historian, author and broadcaster.

  • And today we are grabbing our spoons and tucking into a big old bowl of cereal

  • as we saunter back to 19th century America to learn all about the Kellogg brothers.

  • And to help us, we have two very special breakfast buddies.

  • In History Corner,

  • she's Associate Professor in the History of Science and Medicine at the University of Birmingham's Department of Applied Health Science.

  • You may have read her excellent book, Higher and Colder, on the history of extreme exploration.