The great 13th century theologian Thomas Aquinas thought it a sin to eat too early in the day, and eating before morning mass was frowned upon because fasting was a religious observation, and breakfast literally means breaking one's fast. Historian Ian Mortimer suggests the Tudors invented modern breakfasts in the 16th century as a side-effect of inventing the concept of employment. As people increasingly came to work for an employer, rather than working for themselves on their own land, they lost control of their time, and had to work long, uninterrupted days without sustenance. A big breakfast allowed them to work longer days. The Industrial Revolution and 

akfast before going to work. If we hadn't invented the 9-to-5, we might never have invented breakfast.