The apple thus became possibly the first fruit to be grown by humans, which may be one reason why our bodies like it so much. While the translators of Homer’s Odyssey mention apples, it is more likely that the fruit in question was the quince. However, by Roman times the apple had already been established in southern Europe, but only as a luxury item for the wealthy. Hardcider became the drink of choice in England after the Norman Conquest of 1006, when the French brought apples to England. This is because hard cider is far more beneficial than water. Hard cider had a low alcohol content, but it had enough alcohol that it killed harmful bacteria, so you could drink it and trust that the drink would not make you sick. In the 1600s and seven settlers of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia brought apple seeds and apple saplings with them. Now the fruit would be what we would consider bitter, but to them it was still perfect because they brought it to make hard cider. Oh, by the way. Johnny Appleseed was actually a real person named John Chapman. Chapman was a missionary and an interesting PhD dissertation would be to analyze his theology. He was also a practical businessman, however you see the frontier law stated that a person could claim land as their own if they made substantial improvements to it. One such improvement in the law was that at least 50 apple trees could be planted on it. Thus at the time of Chapman’s death, he owned over 1200 acres of land for which he had never paid. I hope this has been fun and informative.