Unlike Europe, no wartime ration cards are deemed necessary in the United States. 1920s - Home scales and dieting become more common among American women. Previously, women could weigh themselves only at places like drugstores or county fairs. 1928 - In his book Political Behavior , Frank R. Kent of the Baltimore Sun popularizes the term fat cat . 1976 - Michigan passes a civil rights law prohibiting, among other things, discrimination on the basis of height and weight.
Similar efforts fail later in other states, including Texas.
It is introduced in the United States in 1981. 1978 - Jon Minnoch of Bainbridge Island, Wash., sets a record as the heaviest person in medical history. He is rushed to the hospital suffering heart and respiratory failure. 1981 - Minnoch sets an unfortunate record among men for weight gain, after he puts on 196 pounds in seven days, in October. The school system supports the decision.