It's a classic breakfast food that you've probably eaten a bunch of times. It's celebrating its 79th anniversary this month. And, it's a true Minnesota native, too.

Of course, I'm talking about Cheerios. And, yeah, they were invented (or first released, to be more accurate) during the month of June (June 19th, to be exact) way back in 1941. Minnesota's own General Mills was the company responsible for putting that classic breakfast cereal on store shelves in the Land of 10,000 Lakes 79 years ago.

Except, according to this history of Cheerios, they weren't originally called that. They were originally called 'Cheerioats.' But that name was already patented, the story says, so General Mills changed the name to Cheerios.

And the rest is history! The brand was a staple on breakfast tables across the world for many years, until the new-fangled Cinnamon Nut Cheerios were introduced in 1976, with Honey Nut Cheerios coming along in 1979. (I was a kid back then, but I do remember the 'new' Honey Nut Cheerios-- or the commercials for them, anyway.)

These days, though, according to the General  Mills site, there are 16 different varieties of Cheerios-- including the original and Honey Nut versions. There are flavors like Chocolate Peanut Butter, Very Berry, Multi-Grain, Frosted Cheerios and more.

And to think, it all started here in Minnesota 79 years ago. They look pretty good for being nearly 80 years old, don't they? Cheers! (And pass the milk, will ya?)

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