11 Desserts That Changed the World

Believe it or not, there have been many international incidents, alliances, and cultural shifts that revolved around cakes, pies, and other assorted sweet treats. Consider the case of Eamon de Valera, a caper that became a fiction trope.

In 1916, Eamon de Valera found himself incarcerated because of his role in the 1916 Easter Rising, an uprising in which people of Ireland tried to assert their independence from British rule. De Valera managed to make a copy of the hail chaplain's master key by stealing it and making a wax impression using melted-down church candles. He sent the impression to his friends on the outside, who fashioned a metal key and sent it to him, embedded in a cake. Unfortunately, the key didn't function. They tried again, however, and de Valera's second attempt at escape was successful.

How did that cake change the world? Eamon de Valera went on to found the political party Fianna Fáil, and over a 50-year political career served as the leader of Ireland under several titles as the country gained its independence. The other stories on this list at mental_floss will make you say, "Oh yeah, I remember that!" Dessert turns out to be pretty important in the grand scheme of things.    

(Image credit: Flickr user Christian Unbehaun)