Basics
When did veganism start?
Short answer
Donald Watson coined “vegan” in 1944 when he founded The Vegan Society in the UK. The practice of avoiding animal products is much older.
Watson and a group of vegetarians wanted a name for a diet without dairy and eggs. The November 1944 issue of The Vegan News is the first public trail of the word.
Plant-based traditions existed earlier in many cultures — Jainism, some Buddhist streams. Modern veganism added an explicit ethic covering industrial farming, clothing and animal testing.