The Tantalizing World of Pizza

"Oh say can you see, a combination for three."

"Earth, we have landed. Not a drink in sight. Please send beer."

"Comes with 3 toppings; First gear, second gear and third gear."

"We never give up on a day-old pizza if there's a way to save it."

It all began with a single tomato, brought to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century. No one knows who did this but by the late 18th century, it was common for folks around Naples to add tomato to their yeast-based flat bread, and so the pizza was born. Soon pizza became a thriving industry as visitors to Naples came to scoff down the local specialty.

Pizza was first brought to North America in the late 19th Century by Italian immigrants. Before the 1940s, pizza consumption was limited mostly to Italian immigrants and their descendants. The international breakthrough came after World War II. Allied troops occupying Italy, weary of their rations, were constantly on the lookout for good food. They discovered the pizzeria, and local bakers were hard-pressed to satisfy the demand from the soldiers. The American troops involved in the Italian campaign took their appreciation for the dish back home, touted by "veterans ranging from the lowliest private to Dwight D. Eisenhower".

Finally, this 1957 show on Canadian television turned the tables. Pizza was here to stay.