At the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., one summer day last July, a curious exhibit stood on display: an upright piano and, beside it, a strange metal contraption about five feet high. This was the Ring King Jr., once America’s most advanced automatic doughnut maker, donated to the Smithsonian by the Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation in celebration of the brand's 60th anniversary.
In my childhood, I remember stopping by the Krispy Kreme shop in Alexandria, Virginia, where behind the counter a wide glass window revealed shiny conveyor belts and racks filled with fresh, glazed doughnuts. The air smelled sweet, rich with vanilla. At the Smithsonian’s dedication, the Ring King Jr. was hailed as a milestone in the history of doughnut-making. During the ceremony, Cindy Hutchins sang a playful song from the museum's archives: "Who made the doughnut with the hole in the middle? Just how it got there will always be a riddle."
The doughnut, it turns out, has a convoluted past that stretches across continents and centuries—Dutch immigrants, Russian exiles, French bakers, and even Hollywood stars have all played a role in its evolution. The origins of the doughnut are obscure, but most historians agree that it arrived in New York in the 17th century under the Dutch name olykoeks (meaning "oily cakes"). It wasn’t until the 19th century that the doughnut began to take its modern form.
Elizabeth Gregory, the mother of New England ship captain Hanson Gregory, is often credited with the invention of the doughnut hole. She made deep-fried dough using her son’s spice cargo—nutmeg, cinnamon, and lemon rind—and added hazelnuts or walnuts in the center to ensure the dough cooked evenly. Some legends claim that Captain Gregory himself created the hole to improve the doughnut's cookability, while others suggest he did so to make it easier to hang the doughnuts on the ship’s wheel during rough seas. Regardless, by the turn of the 20th century, Captain Gregory recalled using the top of a pepper box to cut the doughnut’s first hole, a moment he described as "the first doughnut hole ever seen by mortal eyes."
The doughnut didn’t truly become iconic until World War I, when American soldiers in the trenches of France were served doughnuts by women volunteers, who even brought the treats to the front lines. The doughboys returned home with a newfound love for the pastry. Interestingly, the term "doughboy" did not originally refer to the pastry but to soldiers, possibly because of their round brass buttons or because they used flour to polish their belts.
The first doughnut machine was invented in 1920 by Adolph Levitt, a refugee from czarist Russia. Levitt's machine, designed to produce doughnuts quickly and efficiently, revolutionized doughnut production. By the 1930s, Levitt’s machines were producing doughnuts at a rate that delighted customers and transformed doughnut-making into a public spectacle. People marveled at the "grease canals" and "dreamy" conveyor belts where doughnuts floated and tumbled, freshly fried and ready to eat. By 1934, the doughnut had achieved national recognition as the "food hit" of the Century of Progress World’s Fair in Chicago.
At the same time, doughnuts became more than just a treat; they embodied a sense of optimism and American can-do spirit. A popular saying from the era, printed on slips of paper with each doughnut purchase, encouraged people: "As you go through life, make this your goal: Watch the doughnut, not the hole." By the 1940s, doughnuts became even more tied to the American experience during World War II, when Red Cross volunteers—later known as the Doughnut Dollies—served doughnuts to soldiers.
In 1937, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Vernon Rudolph and his two friends borrowed $25 to start their own doughnut business. They sold Krispy Kreme doughnuts door-to-door and soon opened a small storefront. The sweet aroma of Krispy Kremes proved irresistible, and the company began selling both wholesale and retail, creating a distinctive business model that still exists today: customers could watch the doughnuts being made as they enjoyed the fresh, hot pastries. The neon "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign, still in use today, became an iconic symbol of the Krispy Kreme experience.
Krispy Kreme’s success grew exponentially after World War II. The company expanded its operations, and in the 1950s, the Ring King Jr. doughnut machine, designed to produce up to 75 dozen doughnuts an hour, became a key part of the production process. Despite competition from Dunkin’ Donuts, which was founded in 1950, Krispy Kreme flourished. By the 1980s, the Ring King Jr. was replaced by more advanced machines, but the doughnut’s popularity persisted, even as other pastries, like the bagel, began to challenge its dominance in cities like New York.
For a time, the doughnut seemed to lose ground in some regions. But college students in small towns like mine kept the doughnut tradition alive. In North Carolina, where Krispy Kreme originated, we’d drive for miles at 1 a.m. to buy the sweet treats. In the 1990s, Krispy Kreme experienced a resurgence, particularly in the South. Sales increased by 20 percent in 1997, and the New Yorker even called the Manhattan Krispy Kreme store a "shrine."
Today, Krispy Kreme stores are spreading across the U.S. and internationally. In 1997, they produced 1.1 billion doughnuts—only a small fraction of the total 10 billion doughnuts made annually in the U.S. Dunkin' Donuts, with stores in 37 countries, sells nearly five times as many. Despite the doughnut's high calorie count—each can carry 300 calories—its devotees continue to describe Krispy Kreme’s signature "original glazed" doughnut as "angelic" or "sugar-coated air."
The doughnut's rich history is also preserved at the Smithsonian. David Shayt, a collections manager at the museum, notes that the Ring King Jr., while retired to storage, is a vital piece of American history. In the future, if doughnuts were to disappear, the Smithsonian's collection—including a recipe card from Krispy Kreme—could help future generations learn how to make them.
The doughnut’s place in American culture is assured, its simple charm enduring for generations. Whether as a comfort food, a symbol of American ingenuity, or just a sweet indulgence, the doughnut continues to satisfy. And even though the secret recipe of Krispy Kreme remains locked in a safe in Winston-Salem, the doughnut's legacy is unmistakably secured in history.