Harland David Sanders, known as Colonel Sanders, founded KFC and revolutionized the fried chicken industry by using a pressure cooker to reduce cooking time. The “Colonel” title was honorary, and he fashioned a public persona around it. He sold his stake in KFC but remained its symbol until his death in 1980.
The man recognized worldwide as Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), was actually born Harland David Sanders in Henryville, Indiana in 1890. He left school at a young age and worked in a series of chores, some of which involved cooking fried chicken. It wasn’t until Sanders turned 40 that word of his exceptionally good fried chicken even spread locally. The Colonel began selling fried chicken from his gas station, then eventually from a modest restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky.
The “Colonel” in Colonel Sanders’ nickname is an honorary title bestowed on prominent Kentucky citizens. The real Harland Sanders only achieved the rank of private during his actual military service. Apparently Sanders enjoyed the prestige and respect engendered by his status as a “Kentucky colonel,” and he fashioned an entire public persona around it, including a pure white suit and Old Southern gentlemanly bearing. has become the much-loved symbol of the Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise.
Fried chicken done the Southern way wasn’t a new food offering in Colonel Sanders’ day. What Sanders did was find a way to reduce the time it takes to fully fry chicken. By using a pressure cooker in conjunction with a traditional deep fryer, he made it possible to serve fried chicken in about the same time it would take to prepare a hamburger or other popular fast-service item. Kentucky Fried Chicken’s secret recipe consisted of 11 herbs and spices, but it was the speed of cooking that revolutionized the fried chicken industry.
Colonel Sanders eventually sold his stake in Kentucky Fried Chicken in the mid-1960s but agreed to remain as its most recognized symbol. When the new KFC changed its gravy recipe in the 1970s, however, Colonel Sanders famously derided it as “wallpaper glue.” Although KFC possesses the Colonel Sanders image, the real Harland Sanders has occasionally tried to distance himself from what he considered inferior versions of his original recipes.
Harlan “Colonel” Sanders died of leukemia in 1980 at the age of 90. His image is still used on KFC packaging and promotional materials, and the parent company of KFC is known to hire Colonel Sanders lookalikes to appear in advertisements and public promotions.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
