Potatoes were first grown by humans in modern-day Bolivia between 6000-8000 BC. It, along with maize (corn), were the main crops South American societies grew. The crop first came to Europe in 1570, but it was considered "lower-class" food, and was only fed to workers and natives in colonies. Still, colonizers saw its value as they did during the Little Ice Age of the late 1700s, when only the potato grew. The potato became more accepted following the Little Ice Age, but would soon become the cause of a very unfortunate series of deaths that lead to the Irish emigrating en masse, especially to the US. Today, the potato is better than ever, and is one of the world's most consumed foods. However, it had humble beginnings, as we saw.