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Soldiers from the Persian Empire baked flatbread with cheese and dates on their shields. It was like a prototype of pizza. -
Ancient Romans made "panis focacius". It was a flatbread with herbs, cheese, and olive oil. This later turned into "focaccia" which was like a pizza but not quite there yet. -
The first use of the word "pizza" was recorded. It appeared in a Latin document from Gaeta, Italy -
From the Americas, tomatoes are introduced to Europe. Originally, they were thought to be poisonous but ended up becoming a signature ingredient to pizza. -
Naples starts to become more known for their pizza marinara (tomato, garlic, oregano, and olive oil). THey were also known for their pizza margherita (tomato, mozzarella, and basil). -
Historians debated about it being true or not but many believe that a man named Raffaele Esposito created pizza Margherita to honor Queen Margherita of Savoy. The idea was to use ingredients that match the Italian flag's colors. -
Italian immigrants brought pizza to the United States. Ever since then, it's one of the most consumed ethnic foods in the US and especially in the Italian communities. -
There's been some debates about Lombardi and his pizzeria but it's believed to be the first pizzeria in the US. It opened in New York City and it started American pizza culture. -
Ike Sewell invents Chicago deep-dish Pizza at Pizzeria Uno. He basically just introduced a thick and hearty version. -
Frozen pizza was invented. It made pizza more accessible to the general public and it also allowed for families to bake them at home a lot easier. -
Large pizza chains like Domino's, Little Caesars, and Pizza hut start to grow and expand quickly across the nation and more. -
Gourmet and international pizza start to gain popularity. Examples could be BBQ chicken pizza or sushi pizza. People also started to get pulled in by cleaner ingredients with John Schnatter's (Papa John) pizza in 1984. -
The traditional pizza starts to make a comeback. Pizza with fresh ingredients and traditional techniques become popular again. -
UNESCO recognized Neapolitan pizza as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. -
Pizza continues to evolve with plant-based, gluten-free, and unconventional toppings and still remains one of the world's most loved foods.