Most people think the English Muffin must have originated in England, but did you know that it was actually invented in America in 1894? In fact, those across the pond had never even heard of this breakfast staple until the 1990s when it was first exported to the United Kingdom from the USA. The Brits do get some credit, however, since the inventor was a British immigrant, Samuel Bath Thomas, who became a U.S. citizen. Mr. Thomas first worked in a bread bakery in New York, then later opened his own bakery where he created a “toaster crumpet,” a version of the English crumpet that was both flatter and what is now called fork-split. He used a secret process that included griddle baking to create a muffin that was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.