Mad Cow Timeline

1986: Discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly called mad cow disease, in cattle in Britain.

1988: British government bans cattle feed containing cow parts and begins destroying BSE-infected cattle. (Eventually 3.7 million cattle are killed.)

1990: British agriculture minister appears on television urging his 4-year-old daughter to eat a hamburger, assuring the public that beef is safe.

1993: Canada reports its first case of mad cow disease.

1996: The British government admits BSE-infected beef may transmit mad cow disease to humans in the form of vCJD, or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. (The classic form of CJD previously appeared mostly in the elderly.)

1997: The United States and Canada ban cattle feed containing cow parts.