Introduction: The story of a great plant that stimulated the primal desires of humans and shaped the great course of world history.

1.
The "Devil's Plant," the Potato, That Made America a Superpower

Marie Antoinette's favorite flower wasn't roses, but potato flowers?
Europeans were shocked when they first saw underground tuberous potatoes.
The story of the unfortunate potato who was convicted by the Inquisition and burned at the stake.
Elizabeth I nearly died from solanine poisoning while trying to popularize potatoes.
Why Frederick II declared that "from now on, only the nobility will be allowed to eat potatoes in this country"
Potatoes solve food problems not only for humans but also for pigs.
Louis XVI succeeded in popularizing potatoes through clever psychological warfare.
Potatoes changed European food culture from vegetarian to meat-eating?
Did you know that potatoes saved the lives of many sailors by preventing scurvy?
The potato blight that plunged one million Irish people into the hell of the Great Famine
The potato that made America a superpower and changed world history
The person who first created curry rice wasn't Indian?

2.
The bright red tomato that changed the human diet

An unfortunate plant that was rejected by Europeans for 200 years
Why did Europeans so thoroughly shun and reject tomatoes?
Is it because of the 'red color' of the fruit that tomatoes are mistaken for poisonous plants?
The Hidden Reason Why Tomatoes Have Become a Signature Italian Ingredient
How did tomato ketchup, which transformed tables around the world, come about?
Tomatoes, the world's largest non-food crop, are among the most productive.
I heard that tomatoes were once put on trial in the US?

3.
Pepper, the 'Black Desire' that ushered in the Age of Exploration

Pepper, a plant worth its weight in gold
A time when the country that controlled the spices dominated the world.
The two countries that opened the Age of Exploration and divided the world in two
Why the Dutch Gave Up the Threatening Spice Trade
The Real Reason Pepper Sold for as High a Price as Gold
The 'black desire' for pepper shaped today's world map.

4.
Columbus's agony and Asia's passion for peppers

Why the chili pepper discovered in the Americas had to be 'pepper' to Columbus
Columbus's exploration of the American continent began with a desire for pepper.
How Chili Peppers Overtook All Spices, Including Black Pepper, in Asia
Plants that captivate humans with their powerful 'addiction'
Capsaicin, a component of chili peppers that promotes the release of endorphins in the human brain
Why chili peppers, 100 times hotter than black pepper, fascinate people
The pepper's unique evolutionary strategy to spread widely by being eaten by birds
The secret to chili peppers' much greater success in Korea than in Japan
Nostalgia and longing for the 'pepper' that permeates bell peppers and paprika

5.
The medicinal onion that supported the giant pyramid

If there were no onions, there would be no pyramids?
Why Onions Have Such Excellent Medicinal Properties
The onions we eat are not the roots or the fruit, but the 'stems' and 'leaves'?

6.
The catalyst for the two wars that changed world history

Tea, the plant that Qin Shi Huang believed was the elixir of immortality
The reason why the matcha tradition, which disappeared from China with the fall of the Song Dynasty, has continued in Japan.
Men's 'coffee houses' are being pushed out by women's 'tea gardens'.
Why was black tea so beloved by factory workers during the Industrial Revolution?
Black tea, the fuse that ignited the powder keg of the American Revolutionary War
The Opium Wars: A Tragic Tragedy Born from the British's Deformed Love of Tea
Assam tea, which overnight transformed India into the world's leading black tea producing region.
The tea that Qin Shi Huang admired changed world history.

7.
Sugarcane, the sweet and dangerous flavor that led to the slave trade, a disaster for humanity.

Why finding sweet tastes and smells was a matter of survival.
Sugar, a luxurious item that was only enjoyed by royalty and nobles
Sugarcane, a cruel plant that grows by feeding on human hard labor
Sugarcane cultivation spread to the rich West Indies
The sweet and dangerous desire of the European powers to turn the natural environment into a vast sugarcane field.
Over 414 years, 9.4 million black Africans were enslaved on sugarcane farms.
How the brutal sugarcane slave trade began
The sugarcane plantations that made Hawaii a multi-ethnic society

8.
Cotton, the plant that sparked the Industrial Revolution

Cotton, a pure white, soft, and unique plant that revolutionized human clothing culture.
The era when fabrics were made from animal fur and bird feathers
Europeans imagined a plant with many sheep hanging from it
If there was no cotton, there would have been no industrial revolution?
The United States, a new nation that gained wealth through cotton cultivation and the triangular trade, which exploited black slaves.
President Lincoln's Cunning Strategy Hidden in the Emancipation of Slaves
Cotton cultivation in Central Asia caused the disappearance of the Aral Sea

9.
Grain and wheat, the incubators that gave birth to civilization from a single seed

Which is more evolved, trees or grass?
Why monocotyledons are more evolved and developed than dicots
Clever grasses engage in a 'brain battle' with herbivores
Why do rice plants deplete their own leaves of nutrients?
Herbivores counterattack against the stealthy attacks of grasses and plants.
A single seed of 'mutant wheat' that solved early humans' food problems.
Why did agriculture begin in harsh environments rather than bountiful ones?
Livestock, a clever strategy for human survival using rice and plants
Why cereals and plants use carbohydrates as their main source of nutrition
Becoming a captive of carbohydrates and entering the harsh path of hard labor
With the advent of farming, humanity entered the racetrack of endless competition.

10.
Rice, the crop that formed the foundation of the ancient nation

Before rice farming, the ancient Japanese consumed starch from taro.
The Huang He and Changjiang civilizations clash over limited land.
Why did agricultural peoples in the ancient world inevitably become powerful nations?
Why did early farmers grow rice instead of wheat or barley?
Why Asia is the Best Continent for Rice Farming
Perfecting rice farming with the invention of the "discussion"
Some conditions that made it inevitable for rice to be used as currency in early agricultural societies
Japan's rice farming supports six times more people than Britain's wheat farming.

11.
Soybeans, the plant that helped us overcome the crisis of the Great Depression

Soybeans, native to China, conquer the Americas.
Rice and soybeans, two great crops that underpinned China's 4,000-year civilization.
The ancestor of soybeans is a weed called 'dolkong'?
Why Soybeans Are Called "Meat from the Field"
Why Rice and Beans Make a Fantastic Combo
Why did miso develop so greatly in Japan during the Sengoku period, a time of war?
Soybeans threatened corn's position in North America in the aftermath of the Great Depression.
Soybeans, once grown in the backyards of Asian immigrants, have become a key crop supporting the economies of South American countries.
12.
Corn, the most widely grown crop worldwide

Corn, a plant that cannot grow without human help, like livestock
The Mayans believed that God created humans from corn.
A strange plant rejected by Europeans for being "against the laws of nature"
What is the most widely grown crop in the world?
Half of the human body is made of corn?
Without corn, there would be no cutting-edge 21st-century scientific civilization.

13.
The tulip, the bulb of desire that created the first bubble economy in human history

Wild tulip seeds from Türkiye sneaked into Europe with the luggage of the Crusaders.
Introduced flowers that shaped the Dutch Golden Age
A single tulip bulb was sold for the price of a house?
The end of the bubble economy caused by the bulb of desire, the tulip

Conclusion: Intelligent plants that survive and reproduce through fierce brain battles with animals and even humans.
References

Stimulating the primal desires of humans
The story of a great plant that shaped the great flow of world history.

ㆍPepper, the 'black desire' that opened the Age of Exploration - The great plant that opened the Age of Exploration, which continued with Columbus, Vasco da Gama, and Magellan, and gave birth to England, the 'nation on which the sun never sets', and the United States, the world's only superpower.

ㆍThe 'devil's plant' that created the superpower America, the potato - caused a famine in Ireland with a terrible plague that killed 1 million people, but was eventually defeated by J.
An ironic plant that changed American and world history by producing Presidents F. Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton, and Obama.

ㆍWheat, the incubator that gave birth to agriculture and civilization from a single seed - a miraculous plant that allowed mankind to solve the 'food' problem and accumulate 'wealth' by discovering a mutant seed that does not fall to the ground even when ripe and cultivating it.

ㆍSugarcane, the sweet and dangerous taste that led to the slave trade - the problematic plant that triggered the 'history of racial discrimination' when Columbus established large-scale plantations on Caribbean islands and began using slave labor.

ㆍTea, the catalyst for the 'two wars' that changed world history - A dangerous plant that created explosive demand when Europeans began drinking it with sugar in the 17th and 18th centuries, sparking the 'American Revolutionary War' and the 'Opium Wars.'

Stimulating the primal desires of humans
The story of a great plant that shaped the great flow of world history.

The second book in the series, "10 Medicines That Changed World History," which has been a bestseller in the history category for over a year in major online and offline bookstores such as Kyobo Bookstore and Yes24, and has provided new inspiration and enjoyable knowledge to many history students, natural science students, and general readers with a strong intellectual curiosity, has been published by People and Trees.
As the title suggests, 『13 Plants That Changed World History』 is composed of 13 chapters, including the specific outline of "The Devil's Plant That Created the Superpower America - Potato", "The Bright Red Fruit That Changed the Table of Mankind - Tomato", "The 'Black Desire' That Opened the Age of Exploration - Pepper", "Columbus's Anguish and Asia's Frenzy - Chili Pepper", "The Medicinal Effects That Supported the Great Pyramids - Onion", "The Catalyst of the 'Two Wars' That Changed World History - Tea", "The Sweet and Dangerous Taste That Caused the Slave Trade, a Disaster for Mankind - Sugarcane", "The Plant That Sparked the Industrial Revolution - Cotton", "The Incubator That Gave Birth to Civilization from a Single Seed - Grain and Wheat", "The Crops That Laid the Foundation for the Birth of Ancient Nations - Rice", "The Plant That Overcame the Crisis of the Great Depression - Soybeans", "The Most Widely Cultivated Crop in the World - Corn", and "The Bulb of Desire That Created the First Bubble Economy in Human History - Tulips".


Would you believe that plants have completely changed 10,000 years of human history? A mutant wheat seed discovered by chance during a time when humans relied on hunting and gathering to survive.
That one tiny grain of rice made agriculture possible, allowing humanity to survive and thrive.
It created wealth and power, the gap between rich and poor, and class.
It gave birth to civilization and led to the creation and development of nations.
As you read this book, you will gain new perspectives and profound insights into the history of humanity, created by seemingly inert plants that move passionately, stimulating and driving human desires.

ㆍThe 'black desire' for pepper created today's world map... ...?!

It was all because of 'pepper'.
No, to be more precise, it all started with man's 'black desire' for pepper.
Christopher Columbus's discovery of the American continent, Vasco da Gama's great voyage, and Ferdinand Magellan's first circumnavigation of the world all originated from 'pepper'.
When you look closely, the fact that Spain and Portugal ushered in the Age of Exploration, that Britain built the British Empire, the "nation on which the sun never sets," and that the United States then took over from Britain and established itself as the world's sole superpower and continued its rise was all due to pepper.
In 15th century Europe, the price of pepper skyrocketed by the day.
It was said that 'the price of pepper is equivalent to the price of gold', and this was not an exaggeration.
In fact, one gram of pepper was traded at a price similar to the price of pure gold of the same weight.
In that way, in contemporary Europe, individuals who acquired pepper could amass wealth and wield power.
The same was true for the country.
A country that monopolized the pepper trade could gain a unique position over its formidable competitors.
Portugal's sponsorship of Vasco da Gama and Spain's sponsorship of Columbus and Magellan on their expeditions were also manifestations of a dark desire to monopolize pepper, which was produced only in India.

ㆍIf there had been no Irish famine caused by potato blight and the Great Migration to America, American and world history would have unfolded completely differently… …?!

It's hard to believe that potatoes played a significant role in making the United States the superpower it is today.
19th century Ireland was the starting point.
At that time, a great famine caused by potato blight swept through Ireland.
The Great Famine had disastrous consequences for Ireland.
As many as one million people suffered from hunger and died.
Those who were lucky enough to survive left their hometowns and immigrated to the United States, which was considered a new world at the time.
The number reached a whopping 4 million.
In the 19th century, America was entering a period of full-scale industrialization.
Around this time, the Irish, who had immigrated to the United States to escape the Great Famine, transformed into a large group of workers and contributed greatly to the industrialization and modernization of the United States.
During this period, the United States, based on the wealth and energy it accumulated intensively, surpassed Britain, the most powerful country at the time, and emerged as the world's leading industrial nation.


The impact of the Irish Famine did not end there.
Among those who immigrated to the United States to escape the Great Famine was J.J., who was the main character in the lunar exploration project and the 35th President of the United States.
There was also F. Kennedy's grandfather, Patrick Kennedy.
The ancestors of Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and Obama, who were among the key figures in shaping modern American and world history, were also among them.
In addition, Walt Disney, who created Walt Disney, and the McDonald brothers, who founded McDonald's, are also descendants of Irish immigrants.
There are no "ifs" in history, but what if the 19th-century Irish potato famine had never occurred, and the resulting Irish exodus to America had never occurred?
Even outstanding American presidents like Kennedy, Reagan, Clinton, and Obama would not have emerged.
And today, America, the world, and the world map likely look quite different.

ㆍThe large-scale sugarcane plantations that Columbus, unable to find pepper, established in the Caribbean islands as an alternative means of gaining wealth and power created a history of slave trade and racial discrimination… …?!

Sugarcane, a crop with a sweet taste, changed world history.
Even in this dramatic page of world history, the problematic figure Columbus appears.
Columbus explored the Americas with the support of Queen Isabella of Spain, but he did not find the pepper she desperately wanted.
Pepper, which originated in southern India, was only produced in that area, as the land that Columbus reached after his long voyage was the American continent, not India in Asia.
Of course, there was no pepper there.
Columbus led his men for days in search of pepper, but they never found it.
Instead of pepper, the crop he discovered was 'chili pepper'.
Columbus sent chili peppers, a completely different crop from pepper, to Spain disguised as pepper.
Just as the American continent had to be India for him, the pepper he discovered there had to be pepper (according to the author, this is why the islands of the Caribbean in Central and South America today are called the 'West Indies' and why the English names for hot peppers (red peppers), green peppers, and sweet peppers, which have nothing to do with pepper, include the word 'pepper'._Translator's note).
Can't you picture Columbus, who set out on a great adventure betting everything on pepper, being embarrassed and troubled in front of pepper?

Ultimately, Columbus and Spain embarked on new economic activities to create wealth and power in the West Indies.
The crop they focused on was sugarcane, the raw material for sugar, a luxurious commodity that was only available to some royalty and nobles at the time.
Sugarcane is native to Southeast Asia, which has a subtropical climate, but the warm climate of the Caribbean islands seemed suitable for sugarcane cultivation, and Columbus brought this crop to the Americas.
Sugarcane, introduced as planned, grew into a goose that laid golden eggs, replacing pepper, and created enormous wealth.
Sugarcane cultivation was an agricultural activity that required a huge amount of labor.
Unlike rice farming, the entire process, from planting seedlings to harvesting, had to be done by human strength and effort, not by livestock.
Sugarcane farming in the West Indies, initiated and developed by Columbus, developed into large-scale plantations. To meet the enormous labor force required for these operations, the slave trade was attempted, and a terrible history of racial discrimination and abuse began.
When tea was introduced from Asia (China) to Europe in the 17th century, it greatly increased the value of sugar.
Unlike Asians who enjoy the original bitter taste of tea, in Europe, sugar was added to eliminate the bitter taste and enhance the sweetness, which led to the popularization of black tea culture and explosive increase in demand for sugar.
Sugarcane, the raw material for sugar, once again significantly changed world history as it intertwined with the popularization of black tea in Europe.

In each and every plant we grow and eat,
Who knew there was such an amazing story hidden there!

Wheat, the incubator that gave birth to civilization from a single seed

It was a single, accidentally discovered seed of a mutant wheat that solved the food problem of early humans who relied on hunting and gathering.
Originally, wheat seeds, a type of grass, could not be farmed by storing them and then planting them in the ground because of their 'shedding' nature (the property of plants to shed seeds from their bodies to increase the possibility of reproduction).
However, in very rare cases, wheat varieties have appeared that are 'non-droppable', meaning that the seeds do not fall to the ground even when ripe.
Some early humans who noticed this picked up the mutant seeds, saved them, and began planting them in the ground.
That's how agriculture began, created wealth, and fundamentally changed world history.


ㆍOnions, the medicinal properties that supported the giant pyramids

Archaeologists examining pyramid reliefs built several centuries BC make a surprising discovery.
It is a scene of workers building a pyramid with onions hanging from their waists.
This is because the ancient Egyptian royal family provided onions, which served as a tonic, to the pyramid construction workers.
Some historians even claim that the Great Pyramid, the greatest cultural heritage of mankind, would not have been successfully completed if it had not been supported by the excellent efficacy of onions.
This is because building the pyramids was a task that required enormous labor and high-level skills.


Tomatoes, the bright red fruit that changed the human diet

Tomatoes, which are native to the Andes Mountains of South America, were introduced to Europe in the 16th century after Columbus's exploration of the American continent.
However, tomatoes were branded as poisonous and were completely ignored for over 200 years, bearing the stigma of being the 'devil's plant', until the 18th century when the people of Naples, Italy, began using them as a food ingredient in cooking for workers and commoners, and they began to take the path to becoming popular.
Tomatoes have become so popular that they are ranked as the world's largest non-food crop in terms of production, changing the way people eat.

Corn, the most widely cultivated crop worldwide

There is a strange(?) plant that was rejected by Europeans because it was said to be 'against the laws of nature'.
It's corn.
To Europeans, who were accustomed to cereals such as barley and wheat, corn was a strange plant.
Corn cannot disperse its seeds because they are tightly wrapped in husks, which should allow them to spread far.
Moreover, even if the yellow kernels wrapped in a shell are exposed, the seeds do not fall to the ground.
If you don't drop the seeds on the ground like that, you won't be able to leave offspring.
Surprisingly, however, today corn is the most produced crop worldwide.
It is used not only as food for humans and livestock, but also as materials for industrial alcohol and paper boxes, and as a bioenergy source to replace petroleum.
Modern civilization would not be possible without corn.

ㆍTea, the catalyst for the 'two wars' that changed world history

A small change in European habits in the 17th and 18th centuries, when they began adding sugar, which had come from America, to tea, a mysterious beverage from the East, completely changed world history.
Black tea, which became a favorite of Europeans thanks to sugar, changed world history by triggering the 'Two Wars' in the process of trying to meet the explosive demand.
One is the American Revolutionary War, and the other is the Opium War between Britain and China.