How did Mr Kellogg come to invent cornflakes

A. An American named Will Keith Kellogg had a professional interest in health and diet. He worked at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, which was run by his brother, Dr John Harvey.

This place was The Priory of the 1870s as riched and famous people flocked to The San for an overhaul. The regime was strict and part of WK Kellogg's brief was to create healthy foodstuffs that would distract patients.

He was already producing corn meal (by passing cooked maize through rollers and crumbling the resultant sheet) when one day he left some cooked cereal exposed to the air for longer than usual.

When this was rolled, each grain became a perfect single flake. Cornflakes soon became part of the staple diet at The San, and it wasn't long before the brothers were producing them for people to eat at home.

By 1898, WK Kellogg had tested and devised his recipe, and found that the flakes were more palatable if made only from the heart of the maize, and flavoured with malt. The company became one of the most profitable in the US and when WK Kelloggs died on October 6, 1951, he was one of the country's most phialthropic businessmen. He established the WKK Fund to help worldwide philanthropic causes.

Q. How did Kelloggs corner the market so successfully

A. The firm effectively changed the breakfast habits of a nation. Americans had previously opted for hot breakfasts, but a massive advertising campaign persuaded citizens to switch to cereal and milk. Mr Kellogs was one of the first businessmen to recognise the benefits of advertising on radio, television, billboards and premiums. He introduced characters such as Snap, Crackle and Pop and Tony the Tiger in his products. Gradually the public was won over by the idea of a breakfast that was healthy and convenient.

Q. Is it the most popular breakfast cereal today

A. It's certainly one of the biggest sellers. Today, 45 million kilos of Kellogg's Cornflakes are sold in the UK each year.