The History of Colonel Harland Sanders and His Kentucky Fried Chicken

Colonel Harland Sanders is known around the world for his famous "finger lickin' good" Kentucky Fried Chicken. His chicken, made from a special recipe that includes eleven herbs and spices, is served every day in restaurants that bear his likeness on the buildings. These establishments span the United States. You can even find his chicken in more than eighty other countries. Kentucky Fried Chicken is one of the largest fast food corporations in the world.

If you had ever seen the Colonel once, you would have known what he always looked like. With a pair of glasses perched on his nose, he could easily be identified by his clean, white attire. Sanders always wore a suit, a black string tie, and he walked with a cane.

While most successful men start their careers at an early age, Harland Sanders' story actually begins when he was sixty-five years old. He had spent many years of his life operating a restaurant. However, once he quit the food business and sat back to relax in retirement, he found himself penniless. When the Colonel received his first Social Security check in the amount of $105.00, he knew he had to get out of his rocking chair and do something to earn some real money.

Harland Sanders' life began in September of 1890. He was the oldest child in a family of five. His father labored in the coal mines of Kentucky in order to support his family. Unfortunately, the mining work took a toll on the elder Sanders, and he passed away at an early age. Young Harland was just six years old at the time.

His father's death left the responsibility of supporting the family to Mrs. Sanders. So, she took a job in a shirt factory. That left young Harland at home to take care of his younger brother and sister. His mother taught him how to cook the family's meals. One of the meals she taught him to make was her incredibly delicious fried chicken.