Welcome to the third maiden edition of Famous Hamsters in History (still proudly brought to you by State Farm Insurance):

John Doughnut was one of the first hamsters to arrive in America (please see earlier Famous Hamsters including Native Americans and those on the Niña) at Plymouth Rock in 1620. Little is known about John Doughtnut’s religious beliefs and thusly, how he was feeling persecuted by England. However, as we can see from the Jamestown Colony’s intensive record keeping system, he did adhere to the common naming system of the time which was “John ________” (see The Crucible by Arthur Miller).

John’s most notable contribution to the early settlers of America was his discovery of corn. After being introduced to the pilgrims by the Wampanoag tribe, corn was fed to John Doughnut who served as a guinea pig hamster. After his enthusiastic ingestion of the treat, corn became a staple in the pilgrim’s diet, as well as that of all hamsters worldwide.

(Fun Fact©: Native Americans referred to what we call “corn” as “Earth bananas.”)

Unfortunately, because John Doughnut was the only hamster to come to America on the Mayflower, he remained the only hamster to live in America for much of the nation’s history with his death in 1621.