Harland David Sanders was born in 1890 near Henryville, Indiana, and shouldered adult responsibilities early after his father's death. He worked as a farmhand, steamboat pilot, insurance salesman, and service-station operator before his cooking—not his military rank, which came from Kentucky's honorary militia—became his livelihood. At a Shell station in Corbin, Kentucky, he served travelers fried chicken seasoned with a blend of eleven herbs and spices he perfected through trial and error.

Sanders received an honorary Kentucky colonel title and turned his café into a modest restaurant empire along U.S. Route 25. When a new interstate bypassed Corbin in the 1950s, he auctioned the property at age sixty-five and took to the road with a pressure fryer and a pocketful of spice contracts. His breakthrough came when he franchised the recipe rather than operating every store himself, collecting a nickel per chicken from partners who adopted his standards.

In 1964 Sanders sold the American business to investors led by John Y. Brown Jr., though he remained the brand's white-suited ambassador for years. KFC expanded internationally, making fried chicken a standardized fast-food category worldwide. Sanders died in Louisville in 1980, having turned late-life adversity into one of the twentieth century's most recognizable food brands.

1. 1930

   Corbin Service Station

   Opened a Shell station in Kentucky where he first served meals to travelers.

2. 1939

   Pressure Fryer Adoption

   Introduced pressure cooking to prepare chicken faster without sacrificing moisture.

3. 1952

   First Franchise

   Signed Pete Harman in Salt Lake City as the first official KFC franchisee.

4. 1964

   Sale of KFC

   Sold the U.S. company for $2 million while retaining Canadian operations and public role.

5. 1980

   Death in Louisville

   Died at ninety after pneumonia; buried in Cave Hill Cemetery in his signature white suit.