The role of diabetes in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) was unclear until 1979 when Kannel et al used data from the Framingham Heart Study (FHS) to identify diabetes as a major cardiovascular risk factor. It was also one of the first studies to demonstrate the higher risk of CVD in women with diabetes compared to men with diabetes. Since then, multiple studies have been done to recognize and curtail cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance. This review will examine the contribution of the Kannel article and subsequent studies in defining the contribution of several risk factors on cardiovascular disease.