Roughly 10,000 years ago, farmers in what is now Mexico noticed that not all of their maize plants were the same. Some were bigger; some tasted better. So they started saving kernels from the plants they favored and planted them for the next season. Thanks to what we now call selective breeding, cobs of maize grew bigger and sweeter over time.
Natural corn, shown above, was first domesticated in 7,000 BC and was dry like a raw potato, according to an infographic by chemistry teacher James Kennedy.