History Goes Green

There are a lot of lists on the Internet about famous vegetarians in history. Some of these are clearly fake: neither Abraham Lincoln nor Thomas Jefferson were vegetarians, for example, yet they always seem to make the Top Ten.

Sometimes, it isn’t clear whether a person practiced vegetarianism or not- this is history and people of the past didn’t always record what they had for breakfast.

Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790

While it is not clear that Franklin abstained from fish for the whole of his life, he did advocate vegetarianism and practiced it for some time. He is known for his strong belief in self-improvement. He made lists of qualities he wished to develop in himself. He often failed yet persisted. Since he did accomplished so much, you might say he eventually succeeded.

“When about 16 Years of Age, I happen’d to meet with a Book written by one Tryon, recommending a Vegetable Diet.   I determined to go into it…. My refusing to eat Flesh occasioned an inconveniency, and I was frequently chid for my singularity….” The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Chapter 1

Thomas Edison 1847-1931

   “Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.”

In June 1908, The Vegetarian Society of Great Britain published this piece:

Mr. Edison a Vegetarian. – During the recent illness, from mastoiditis, of Mr. Thos. Alva Edison, the famous inventor ceased using meat and went for a thorough course of vegetarianism. Mr. Edison was so pleased with the change of diet that, now he has regained his normal health, he continues to renounce meat in all it’s forms.

Pythagoras  Born 580?-572? BC, died 500?-490? BC

“For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.”