Sea Captain Hanson Crockett Gregory Invents the Donut (1847)

Then-future high-seas hero mariner Captain Hanson Crockett Gregory of Maine is credited with creating a popular and delicious breakfast treat. In a moment of divine inspiration as a teenage galley boy aboard the Ivanhoe on June 22, 1847, Gregory turned a poorly cooked blob of sailors’ sustenance into the iconic, ring-shaped and deep-fried delicacy we know and love today. His innovation changed the way people around the world eat breakfast.

As of 2022, U.S. consumers eat more than 10 billion donuts per year, according to the Simmons National Consumer Survey — while an incredible 96% of Americans say they enjoy donuts.