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You probably know Colonel Sanders, this man with the iconic bow tie, but do you really know his story? Prepare to be surprised because this KFC founder has had a meteoric rise to fame at an age when most people are already thinking about retirement. Imagine, at 62, he decides to embark on the adventure of his life and becomes a billionaire at 88!
How did he achieve this feat? Discover the beginnings, career, and twists and turns of Colonel Sanders' life. You will be amazed how a simple chicken recipe can change a life!
Table of contents
The beginnings of Colonel Sanders
Harland David Sanders, better known by his legendary name, "Colonel Sanders", was born September 9, 1890 in Henryville, Indiana. Son of Wilbur David Sanders, a man who experienced the harsh realities of life as a farmer and butcher before his early death, and Margaret Ann Dunleavy, a dedicated housekeeper, Sanders faced challenges from a young age.
When his father died when he was just five years old, Sanders had to take over the reins of the household. He developed a passion for cooking while preparing meals for his siblings, a skill he learned out of necessity and which later became the cornerstone of his success.
At the age of ten, he got his first job to help support his family. Life left him no choice and school became a secondary option. At the age of twelve, he left school to devote himself fully to work when his mother remarried.
He worked as a farm laborer and then got a job as a streetcar conductor in New Albany, Indiana, showing his determination to work hard to provide for his family. In 1906, Sanders' life took an unexpected turn when he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Cuba for a year.
Upon returning from the army, Sanders married Josephine King and had three children. This difficult start in life shaped Sanders' character, preparing him to become the founder of one of the largest fast food networks in the world, KFC.
| Birth name | Harland David Sanders |
| Birth | September 9, 1890 |
| Place of birth | Henryville (Indiana, United States) |
| Death | December 16, 1980 |
Colonel Sanders' professional career
Harland Sanders, better known as Col. Sanders, was a man of resilience and adaptability, embarking on a multitude of professions before finding his true calling. His professional journey illustrates his incredible ability to overcome failure and reinvent himself.
In his youth, Sanders demonstrated great versatility, working in a variety of jobs. He sold insurance, ran his own steamboat company, and even became Secretary of State. Columbus Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He also purchased the manufacturing rights for a carbide lamp, demonstrating his entrepreneurial spirit. However, the advent of rural electrification made his business obsolete, leaving him jobless and destitute.
Despite this failure, Sanders did not give up. He found a job as a railway worker for theIllinois Central Railroad, a job that allowed him to support himself while he continued his education by correspondence. He obtained a law degree from the Southern University, which opened the door to a legal career.
Sanders became a justice of the peace in Little Rock, Arkansas. He practiced successfully for a time, until an altercation with a client in court ended his legal career. He was acquitted of assault charges, but the damage was done and he had to leave the legal profession. This event, although devastating, marked the beginning of Sanders' journey toward his true passion: the restaurant business.
Every failure and twist in Sanders' life set the stage for the creation of KFC, one of the largest fast food networks in the world. Her resilience and dedication are a testament to her life philosophy: never give up, no matter the obstacles.
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The creation of KFC by Colonel Sanders
The birth of KFC has its roots in a Shell gas station in Corbin, Kentucky, which Colonel Harland Sanders opened in the early 1930s. A difficult period, marked by the Great Depression and the decline in road traffic. But Colonel Sanders, a man of exceptional resilience, did not give in to panic. Instead, he began cooking Southern specialties like fried chicken, ham, mashed potatoes and biscuits. His accommodation, located at the back of the gas station, has been transformed into an inviting dining room with a single table for six guests.
In 1931, Sanders saw the opportunity to move to a 142-seat coffee shop across the street, which he named Sanders Cafe. He held several positions there, from chef to cashier to gas station employee. Sanders Café was known for its simple, traditional cuisine. To hone his management skills, Sanders attended a training program at Cornell University in 1935. His dedication and contributions to American cuisine were recognized by the Governor of Kentucky who honored him with the title "Kentucky Colonel ".
In 1939, disaster struck: the restaurant burned down. But Sanders, true to his spirit of perseverance, rebuilt it, adding a motel to the facility. The new establishment, called "Sanders Court and Café", quickly gained popularity thanks to its fried chicken. Sanders even created a replica of one of the motel rooms inside the restaurant to entice vendors to stay the night. Its local fame increased when Sanders Court and Café was included in a renowned restaurant critic's guide.
Sanders spent nine years perfecting his fried chicken recipe, which included eleven herbs and spices. He encountered a challenge with the cooking time, as it took at least 30 minutes to cook the chicken. The solution ? The autoclave, which could cook chicken in just nine minutes, while preserving taste and flavors. In 1949, Sanders remarried and was once again honored with the title "Colonel of Kentucky."
During World War II, gasoline rationing led to a drop in traffic, forcing Sanders to close his motel in 1942. But he didn't let it get him down. Convinced of the potential of his secret recipe, he began franchising restaurants in 1952. The first franchised restaurant opened in Utah and was managed by Pete Harman. It was Sanders who is credited with inventing the name "Kentucky Fried Chicken", the bucket concept and the slogan "Finger lickin' good".
Construction of a new highway in 1956 forced Sanders to abandon his coffee shop, which he sold at auction for $75. At the age of 000, a nearly bankrupt Sanders traveled the country looking for restaurants willing to franchise his recipe. After numerous rejections, he eventually built an empire of 66 franchised restaurants in the late 400s. Sanders became the face of Kentucky Fried Chicken and appeared in advertisements and promotional events for the chain. By 1950, Kentucky Fried Chicken was generating $1963 in annual profits and had a growing customer base.
Colonel Sanders' sale of KFC
In 1959, Col. Sanders, the American entrepreneur and philanthropist, made a bold choice. He moved the headquarters of his thriving business, KFC, in new premises, an iconic location near Shelbyville, Kentucky, to be closer to its audience.
On February 18, 1964, in a watershed moment, Sanders sold his company to a team of investors led by future Kentucky Governor John Y. Brown, Jr. and Jack Massey. The transaction amount is two million dollars. Despite initial hesitation, Sanders accepted the offer and entered a new phase of his career.
“I was reluctant to sell. But in the end, I knew it was the right decision. This allowed me to focus on what I really loved: promoting KFC and helping other entrepreneurs. » – Colonel Sanders
After the sale of KFC, Sanders did not withdraw completely. He received a lifetime annual salary of $40, later increased to $000, and became the official spokesperson and ambassador for KFC. His main task is to promote the brand and assist in the opening of new restaurants around the world. He also gives a chance to a young businessman, named Dave Thomas, to get a struggling KFC restaurant back on its feet. Thomas, under Sanders' guidance, transformed this failing unit into a thriving business.
Sanders appears in numerous commercials for KFC, becoming the face of the brand. He fights to retain his rights to KFC in Canada and devotes time and resources to charities supporting churches, hospitals, Boy Scouts and the Salvation Army. In a remarkable gesture of generosity, he adopted 78 foreign orphans.
In 1969, Kentucky Fried Chicken became a publicly traded company and was acquired by Heublin, Inc. two years later. Sanders, anxious to maintain the quality of his company, believes that it is deteriorating. In 1974, he sued his own company for non-compliance with agreed terms. The lawsuit was settled out of court, but KFC then sued Sanders for defamation. The case was eventually dropped, but Sanders continued to criticize the poor quality of the food served in the restaurants he founded.
Colonel Sanders' life after KFC
After selling his successful business, Colonel Sanders did not retire. On the contrary, he opened a new restaurant in Kentucky, named Claudia Sanders' The Colonel's Lady Dinner House. However, the winds have not always blown in his favor. Following a court order obtained by Kentucky Fried Chicken, the Colonel was required to renounce the use of his own name or title of Colonel for his future business ventures. This decision forced him to rename his new establishment in Claudia Sanders' Dinner House.
Despite these challenges, the Colonel continued to move forward. After turning over Claudia Sanders' Dinner House to Cherry Settle and her husband Tommy in the early 1970s, the restaurant suffered tragedy. A faulty electrical installation sparked a devastating fire the day after Mother's Day in 1979. Fortunately, the Settles were undeterred and rebuilt the restaurant, adorning it with many Sanders family memorabilia.
Another Claudia Sanders' Dinner House began life in a Kentucky hotel in Bowling Green, but unfortunately had to close its doors in the 1980s. Despite these setbacks, Colonel Sanders never lost its popularity. In 1974, he published two autobiographies: "Life as I Known It Was Finger Lickin' Good" and "The Incredible Colonel." In one poll, he was even ranked as the second most popular person in the world.
Despite battling leukemia for seven months, Colonel Harland Sanders continued to live to the fullest until his last breath. He died at the age of 90 in Shelbyville, leaving behind an indelible culinary legacy. Dressed in his iconic white suit and black bow tie, he was buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. In tribute to his passing, KFC restaurants around the world flew their flags at half-mast for four days. After his death, Randy Quaid replaced Colonel Sanders in KFC commercials with an animated version, continuing the Colonel's legacy.
The legacy of Colonel Sanders
Colonel Sanders left an indelible culinary legacy. It was in Corbin, where his motel-restaurant was located, that the Colonel first served his famous chicken. This historic place has now been transformed into a restaurant KFC, a living witness to the birth of the iconic fried chicken recipe that has conquered the world.
The secret recipe for KFC's fried chicken, concocted with eleven herbs and spices, is carefully guarded by the company. The only copy is kept in a safe at the company's headquarters, like a priceless treasure. Despite claims by journalist William Poundstone that the recipe consists of only four ingredients – flour, salt, black pepper and monosodium glutamate – after laboratory analysis, KFC maintains that the recipe has remained unchanged since 1940.
Known for his strong personality and innovative management methods, Colonel Sanders has inspired many restaurateurs. He pioneered the use of an icon to promote a brand. This concept, which was unprecedented at the time, revolutionized marketing. It also introduced the idea of selling tasty, affordable food to busy and hungry consumers.
The museum dedicated to Colonel Sanders and his wife in Louisville is a tribute to their lives and work. It houses a life-size statue, his desk, his iconic white suit, his cane and tie, his pressure cooker and other personal effects. In 1972, his first restaurant was designated a historic landmark by the governor of Kentucky. Even in Japan, his influence is felt through the Colonel's Curse, an urban legend in Osaka linking the fate of an effigy of Colonel Sanders to the performance of the local baseball team, the Hanshin Tigers.
Colonel Sanders also left his mark as an author, having written two autobiographies, a cookbook and three Christmas albums published between 1967 and 1969. His journey and legacy continue to inspire millions across the world.
Colonel Sanders' publications
Colonel Harland Sanders was not only a culinary entrepreneur, but also a talented author. His love for cooking and his unique life philosophy have been shared through several books, including two autobiographies published in 1974.
The first of his autobiographical works, entitled “ Life as I've known it has been finger lickin' good“, was translated into French by Laurent Brault under the title “ The legendary colonel » in 1981. This book offers a fascinating insight into the life of this man who created a global gastronomic empire from nothing.
The second book, “ The Incredible Colonel", also published in 1974, gives a deeper insight into Sanders' personality and his journey to becoming the iconic face of KFC.
In 1981, Harland Sanders collaborated with David Wade on a cookbook called " David Wade's magical kitchen“. For anyone looking to recreate the magic of the Colonel's kitchen at home, this book is a true gold mine.
In addition to his books, Colonel Sanders also published a recipe booklet entitled " Twenty Favorite Recipes from Colonel Harland Sanders, creator of Colonel Sanders' Recipe Kentucky Fried Chicken“. This booklet is a testament to his love for cooking and his desire to share his favorite recipes with the world.
Finally, Colonel Sanders also explored the world of music. Three albums were released in the late 1960s, entitled " Christmas Eve with Colonel Sanders"," Christmas Day with Colonel Sanders " and " Christmas with Colonel Sanders“. These Christmas albums reflect the warm and welcoming spirit of the Colonel, while adding a festive touch.
Through these various publications, Colonel Sanders left an indelible mark, not only in the world of fast food, but also in the fields of literature and music. His story continues to inspire and educate millions of people around the world.
Colonel Sanders, the visionary behind KFC
It's hard to imagine the world of fast food without the charismatic influence of Colonel Harland Sanders, the venerable brains behind KFC. Born in Indiana, he rose through the ranks to become a successful entrepreneur, establishing the cornerstone of the KFC fast food empire at the unconventional age of 62.
Known for his secret recipe fried chicken, Colonel Sanders transformed a simple chicken dish into a global sensation. KFC's exquisite delights, served in their iconic “buckets” have become synonymous with family meals and gatherings with friends, perfectly reflecting the warm spirit of Colonel Sanders.
Colonel Sanders began his gastronomic journey with a modest restaurant, the Sanders Cafe, in the 1930s. It was here that he perfected his secret recipe, a blend of 11 herbs and spices that remains a mystery to this day. This recipe is so valuable that it is supposed to be kept in a safe in Louisville, Kentucky, as a national treasure.
The first KFC restaurant opened in 1952, and has continued to grow ever since, led by the iconic face of Colonel Sanders. His image has become an inseparable icon of KFC, appearing in various advertisements and promotions of the brand. KFC, or KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), as it is called in Quebec, is now a global chain, present in every corner of the world.
In addition to his passion for cooking, Colonel Sanders was also a dedicated philanthropist. He created the "Colonel's Kids" foundation to help children, reflecting his commitment to giving back to the community. His legacy is celebrated at the Colonel Sanders Museum in Corbin, Kentucky, a venue that attracts visitors from around the world eager to learn about the life and work of this exceptional entrepreneur.
Colonel Sanders became a billionaire at the age of 88, proof that perseverance and passion can lead to incredible success, regardless of age. His story is an inspiration to all who dream of greatness.
