Howard Lyman "Spongiform"

A fourth-generation cattle rancher, Howard Lyman is now a prominent advocate of plant-based diets and sustainable agriculture. Lyman burst into the national spotlight in 1996 after an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show. On that show he discussed the way meat is produced and the dangers of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease. Lyman's revelations prompted Oprah to say on air, "I will never eat a hamburger again." Beef sales dropped noticeably after the show, and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association sued both of them for libel. On February 29th, 1998, an Amarillo, Texas, jury found them not guilty.