A TIMELINE OF VEGAN HISTORY

eganism first made its historic debut between 3300-1300 BCE. Ancient diets that are comparable to plant-based eating today evolved from vegetarianism in Northern and Western India with several emperors, philosophers, and poets advocating for the lifestyle. It wouldn’t be officially coined or turned into a movement until 1945 with the founding of the Vegan Society. The following timeline walks us through the formation of modern-day veganism and its roots.

Please note that any reference to the word vegan before 1944 refers to diet and not the use of the actual word.

Al-Maʿarri (973 - 1057)

One of the earliest known vegans. Based his arguments on health, animal welfare, transmigration of souls, and the view that if humans deserve justice, so do animals.

Roger Crab (1621 - 1680)

Followed a vegan diet from 1641 until his death in 1680. In the later parts of his life, Crab excluded potatoes and carrots from his diet, eventually reducing his intake to only rumex (a type of sorrel leaf) and grass. He also refrained from drinking anything stronger than water. He made a vow of poverty inspired by the figure of John the Baptist.

Johann Conrad Beissel (1691 - 1768)

One of the first reported vegetarians in North America who was motivated by his Christian beliefs. Invented a vegan diet for the Ephrata community that excluded all meat, dairy, eggs, and honey.

Lewis Gompertz (1784 - 1861)

Founding member of the English Society of the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals.

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1813)

A poet that published ‘‘A Vindication of Natural Diet’’ advocating ‘‘abstinence from animal food and spirituous liquors.

William Lambe (1815)

A London physician that promoted a water and vegetable diet. He believed it could cure anything, from tuberculosis to acne. He called animal food a habitual ritual and made the case that ‘‘milk eating and flesh eating are but branches of a common system and they must stand or fall together.’’

Sylvester Graham (1830s)

Created the meatless Graham Diet consisting mostly of fruits, vegetables, and bread made at home from stone ground flour.

Amos Bronson Alcott (1834)

Opened the Temple School in 1834 and Fruitland in 1844 in Massachusetts.

James Pierrepoint Greaves (1838)

Founded the vegan Concordium at Alcott House in England on Ham Common.

Vegetarian Society (1843)

Members of the Alcott House helped form the UK Vegetarian Society with the first meeting being held in Ramsgate, Kent. A small segment of the group advocated for abstaining from the use of all animal products.

Russell Thatcher Trall (1874)

Published the first known vegan cookbook in America called The Hygeian Home Cook-Book. The book contained recipes "without the employment of milk, sugar, salt, yeast, acids, alkalies, grease, or condiments of any kind."

Mahatma Gandhi (1931)

Gandhi joined the Vegetarian Society while living in London and made the case for a meat-free diet as a matter of morality and not health. This appeal was directed to the majority of the society that still consumed dairy products mainly because of societal norms at the time.

Donald Watson & Dorthy Morgan (November 1944)

Created The Vegan News in August 1944 after several members requested a non-dairy vegetarian section of the Vegetarian Society. The word Vegan was created by Donald Watson and school teacher Dorthy Morgan. The word represents the beginning and end of vegetarianism, taking the first and last part of the word. Other name candidates included allvega, neo-vegetarian, dairyban, vitan, benevore, sanivores, and beaumangeur.

Vegan Society (November 1945)

After the success of The Vegan News, readers met at the Attic Club, 144 High Holborn, London. World Vegan Day is held on the 1st of November to commemorate the founding of the society. The newsletter changed its name to The Vegan and the group had over 500 subscribers. The publication featured recipes and a trade listing of products.

In 1947, the organization rejected the use of animal products for any reasons. Watson wrote, "The vegan renounces it as superstitious that human life depends upon the exploitation of these creatures whose feelings are much the same as our own ..."

Vegan Society Expands (1948)

The first Vegan Society in America was founded by Catherine Nimmo and Rubin Abramowitz in California where they distributed Donald Watson’s newsletter.

American Vegan Society (1960)

H. Jay Dinshah founded the American Vegan Society linking veganism to ahimsa (sankirst for non-harming).

Dictionary Addition (1962)

According to Joanne Stepanik, the word vegan was first published independently in the Oxford Illustrated Dictionary in 1962. It was defined as "a vegetarian who eats no butter, eggs, cheese, or milk".

Sources

"Definition of VEGANISM". www.merriam-webster.com

"History". American Vegan Society. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2018.

"Study of Current and Former Vegetarians and Vegans", Faunalytics, December 2014, 4; "How Many Former Vegetarians and Vegans Are There?", Faunalytics, 2 December 2014.

Cornelli, Gabriele; McKirahan, Richard (2013). In Search of Pythagoreanism: Pythagoreanism as an Historiographical Category.

Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter. p. 168. ISBN 978-3-11-030650-7.

Davis, John. "History of Vegetarianism: Extracts from some journals

1842 48 the earliest known uses of the word 'vegetarian'".

International Vegetarian Union. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.

Geert Jan van Gelder, Gregor Schoeler, "Introduction", in Abu l-Ala alMaarri, The Epistle of Forgiveness Or A Pardon to Enter the Garden, Volume 2, New York and London: New York University Press, 2016, xxvii.

Leneman, Leah (1999). "No Animal Food: The Road to Veganism in Britain, 1909-1944". Society & Animals. 7 (3): 219 228.

Renier, Hannah (March 2012). "An Early Vegan: Lewis Gompertz". London Historians. Retrieved 22 April 2020.

Team, T., 2016. Starbucks' Introduction Of Almond Milk Is An Investment In The Future. [online] Forbes.

Watson, Donald (November 1944). "Issue No. 1". The Vegan News. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2019.

Watson, Donald (February 1945). "Issue No. 2". The Vegan News. Retrieved 13 June 2019