The word “vegan” was coined in the UK in the 20th century, but its ideals date back thousands of years.

In 1944, a vegetarian named Donald Watson, who also chose not to eat dairy, decided that there should be a word to depict people like himself. He landed on “vegan,” as it contained the first three and last two letters of “vegetarian.” In 1949, Leslie J Cross (the former vice president of the Vegan Society), defined veganism as “the principle of the emancipation of animals from exploitation by man.” 

But Watson and Cross were by no means the first to take a stance against animal exploitation. Many people mistakenly believe that veganism is a predominantly white and western way of living. But its origins date back thousands of years to a number of different cultures across the world. 

Siddhārtha Gautama (also known as the Buddha) endorsed vegetarianism to his followers when he lived in the 5th or 6th century BC. In the same period of time, the religions of Hinduism and Jainism, both of which are still prominent today, were advocating for meat-free diets. 

In 500 BC, Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras of Samo endorsed kindness toward animals, and chose not to eat them. He also taught this ethical stance to his followers.