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Spanish conquistadors bring tomatoes to Europe from the New World.
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The first known recipes for the production of mozzarella cheese begin popping up in cookbooks.
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Although tomatoes are feared to be poisonous, peasants in Naples are the first to add them to their pizza.
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Port'Alba the world's first pizzeria, opens in Naples. The proprietor bakes pizzas in an oven lined with lava harvested from Mount Vesuvius.
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Naples chef Raffaele Esposito prepares a red, white, and green pizza of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil to honor a visit by Queen Margherita Teresa Giovanna. He names the pie the margherita
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Gennaro Lombardi opens the first American pizzeria: Lombardi's pizzeria, which was located at 53 ½ Spring St. in New York City. (The restaurant would later move to 32 Spring St.).
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Ric Riccardo Sr. and Ike Sewell invent a deep-dish pizza and begin serving it at their new Chicago restaurant, Pizzeria Uno — creating a flagship for the future chain.
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Buying a slice becomes increasingly popular as WWII veterans return from Italy and spread the pizza gospel.
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The first frozen pizza made by the company Celentano's to hit the supermarkets.
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The first Pizza Hut opens in Wichita, Kansas. The first Domino's opens just two years later in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
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Chicago pizzerias add a top layer to their deep-dish pie, creating the miracle of stuffed pizza.
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Pizza goes gourmet, with upscale toppings such as duck and Gorgonzola.
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Kraft introduces DiGiorno pizza, the first "self-rising" frozen pie.
