Egg Fun Facts

Humans have been eating eggs for at least 6 million years. The earliest evidence comes from fossilized eggshell fragments found alongside early hominid remains in Africa.

Source: Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, Scribner

The ancient Romans crushed eggshells in their plates after eating to prevent evil spirits from hiding inside them.

Source: Pliny the Elder, Natural History (77 AD)

Chickens were domesticated from wild red junglefowl in Southeast Asia around 8,000 years ago, but initially for cockfighting — not for eggs.

Source: PNAS, 2020 — 'The biocultural origins of domestic chickens'

The phrase 'don't put all your eggs in one basket' dates back to at least 1605, when Cervantes used a version of it in Don Quixote.

Source: Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote (1605)

The Easter egg tradition has roots in medieval Europe. Eggs were forbidden during Lent, so people decorated the ones laid during that period and gave them as gifts on Easter.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica — 'Easter Egg'

In 1911, Joseph Coyle of British Columbia invented the egg carton to settle a dispute between a farmer and a hotel owner over broken eggs during delivery.

Source: Smithsonian Magazine

The USDA egg grading system (AA, A, B) was established in 1970. It grades eggs on interior quality and shell appearance, not on safety or nutrition.

Source: USDA Agricultural Marketing Service

Egg tempera was the primary painting medium for European panel paintings before oil paint became dominant in the 15th century. Many Botticelli works use egg tempera.

Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art — Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

The first commercially produced mayonnaise in the United States was sold in 1905 at a delicatessen in Manhattan by Richard Hellmann.

Source: Hellmann's corporate history

During the 18th century in France, it was said that Louis XV's court consumed over 200 eggs a week in custards, sauces, and pastries alone.

Source: Larousse Gastronomique

The Egg Board's 'Incredible, Edible Egg' slogan debuted in 1977 and is one of the longest-running food marketing campaigns in U.S. history.

Source: American Egg Board