The Origin of “Okay”

pre 1800
Ola Kala is Greek for “all is well.

1800s
Obadiah Kelly, a railroad worker, used to mark his initials on important papers to show that everything was approved.

1830s
In Boston, in the 1830s, people enjoyed making up acronyms, especially using incorrectly spelled words. On March 23, 1839, the Boston Morning Post printed a new, made up word – “o.k.,” meaning oll korrect (all correct).

1840s
During the presidential race for the 8th president of the United States, Martin Van Buren, one of the candidates, used the nickname “Old Kinderhook” or “O.K.” to refer to Van Buren’s hometown of Kinderhook, NY.

1935
OK is chosen as the symbol for OK Kosher Certification (Organized Kashrus).

1968
OK becomes synonymous with “Kosher” and is globally recognized as a symbol for the highest standard of kosher certification.

2007
OK Kosher Certification is one of the largest kosher certifications in the world and the symbol is relied on by millions of kosher consumers worldwide.