Nugget Man

March 13, 2006 - Robert C. Baker died of a heart attack on this day, but he is forever remembered as the inventor of some of the world's most popular fast food items.

Baker was a popular professor at Cornell University for over 30 years where he founded the Institute of Food Science and Marketing. He published almost 300 research papers, but his most memorable achievement was inventing the chicken nugget. We also have him to thank for creating turkey hot dogs.

For the record, Baker published his chicken nugget recipe in the 1950s. It wasn't until 1979 that McDonald's patented Chicken McNuggets.