• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Firsts / Where Did Corn Come From?

Where Did Corn Come From?

February 7, 2020 by Karen Hill

Corn is the second most widely grown crop on earth today, after wheat, and in the United States it’s the largest crop.

where did corn originate

But no one in Europe knew about corn until Columbus sailed for the New World.

Corn probably first grew in Central America and, by at least 2000 B.C., was cultivated by the Indians in North America. The Indians called it maize. The Indians had a legend that a beautiful maiden turned herself into a corn plant as a favor to mankind, and her hair became the corn silk.

Columbus found corn growing in Cuba, and brought some back to Europe. Later, cultivated corn was found growing all the way from Canada to Chile, for it was the main food item of the Aztec, Maya, and Inca Indians.

Within one generation of Columbus’s return, corn was growing all over Europe too.

In England, the word corn was used for all grains, so the Pilgrims called maize “Indian corn.” This became “corn” in America, but in England, corn still means “grain.”

What we call corn, the English call maize.

The United States produces some seven billion bushels of corn a year, about half the world’s supply.

Related Facts

  • What was the European Age of Exploration?
  • Where Does Corn Syrup Come From and How Is Corn Syrup Made?
  • How do NASA and the USDA predict future crop yields using weather satellites?
  • How did the Pilgrims learn how to grow corn when they first settled in North America?
  • Which Explorers First Explored the Continents of the World?
  • Who Were the First Explorers of Ancient Civilization?

Filed Under: Firsts

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Who Invented the Ice Cream Soda?
Next Post: Where Did Olives Come From? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy