Company Brands Careers Responsibility Investors Channel G Company Businesses Countries History Beginnings Brand heritage Archives Innovation Leadership Mission Publications Values Our websites Employees and retirees History Starting with two flour mills in the 1860s, General Mills revolutionized the milling industry, producing flour with superior baking properties. By the 1960s, we were marketing children's products such as Play-Doh, Easy Bake Ovens, Spirograph, Monopoly and Nerf balls. In between, we associated with such memorable characters as Betty Crocker, Rocky & Bullwinkle, the Lone Ranger and the Pillsbury Doughboy. And what happened after our Wheaties - The Breakfast of Champions - began sponsoring baseball radio broadcasts in 1933 could be a movie script. Courtesy of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Blazing a presidential path Radio listeners voted Ronald "Dutch" Reagan as the country’s most popular Wheaties baseball announcer in 1937, which earned him a free trip to California for a screen test. Reagan became a Hollywood star and eventually was elected president of the United States, as you know. You might not know that when the sunken Titanic was explored by oceanographer Robert Ballard in 1986 that he did it in a three-person submarine designed and built at General Mills in the early 1960s. ALVIN made 11 dives to that Titanic site. These days, our focus is on food - making lives around the world healthier, easier and richer. We’d need an entire website to capture our rich history, but you can find more here, including our origin. General Mills timeline Through the years (PDF) Innovation, invention, food & fun From flour to submarines to toys to restaurants. Charmin' characters Hi! I’m Poppin’ Fresh. History blog Something new about something old © 2014 General Mills Inc. All Rights Reserved | An Equal Opportunity Employer HomeContact usFAQTerms of usePrivacy policyCommunity rulesSite map