PHOTO: ROBERT HEDIN AND THE ANDERSON CENTER

To promote his Puffed Rice cereal at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Alexander Anderson installed eight 20-inch-long bronze cannons in his booth. Anderson stuffed the cannons with 6 pounds of raw rice each, capped their openings, and heated them in an oven until the temperature hit 600 degrees. Then, he pulled the cannons out and removed the muzzles, allowing the cylinders to loudly expel the now-puffed rice. The thunderous demonstrations helped sell 250,000 packages of Puffed Rice at a nickel apiece and inspired the company's legendary slogan "Food Shot From Guns."