1In 1957, a man named Momofuku Ando lost almost all his money. He was not young anymore, but he did not give up. He built a small hut next to his house in Ikeda, Osaka. For about a year, he worked there from early morning until late at night. His goal was simple. He wanted to make noodles that anyone could cook fast.

2One day, he watched his wife cook tempura. The hot oil took the water out of the batter. That gave him an idea. He fried noodles in hot oil to dry them. The dry noodles could last a long time. Then hot water made them soft again in just two minutes.

3On August 25, 1958, Chicken Ramen went on sale. It cost 35 yen, but a ball of udon was only 6 yen. Some sellers said it was too expensive. But people loved it and called it magic ramen. You only needed a bowl and some hot water. That is why August 25 is Instant Ramen Day in Japan.

4Ando kept going. In 1971, his company made Cup Noodle. In 2005, his ramen even went into space, when he was 95. Today, people around the world eat more than 120 billion servings of instant noodles a year. That is about 15 servings for every person on Earth. Not bad for an idea from a home kitchen!