Who founded Kentucky Fried Chicken, now commonly known as KFC?

Harland Sanders founded Kentucky Fried Chicken, now commonly known as KFC.

Sanders was born in 1890 in Henryville, Indiana. He operated a service station and restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky, where he developed a pressure-frying method and a recipe using 11 herbs and spices. His white suit and goatee later became central parts of the brand’s image.

Rather than opening a huge restaurant chain immediately, Sanders franchised his recipe and method to other operators. Pete Harman became an important early franchisee in Utah and helped popularize the name Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Sanders sold most of the company in 1964 but remained its public ambassador. A common mix-up is calling him “Colonel” as though it were a military rank; the title was an honorary Kentucky designation. KFC later became one of the world’s best-known fried-chicken chains.