Well … maybe not. It’s a rather dangerous proposition, really; Americans consume nearly 7 billion hot dogs every summer between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That’s a whole lot of Frankfurters, wieners and footlongs!
Our minds have gone to the dogs today for a particular reason: July 23 is National Hot Dog Day. And in the spirit of the original fast food, here are some fast facts about the hot dog:
- Mickey Mouse’s first words? He exclaimed, “Hot dogs!” in an animated short from 1929 called The Karnival Kid
- Although hot dogs have been an American staple since the 1870’s, they were served with buns for the first time in 1904. Some concessionaires would hand out gloves for customers to wear while eating their dogs. Not surprisingly, the gloves often went unreturned. Anton Feuchtwanger, a Bavarian hot dog vendor, came up with the idea of asking his brother, a baker, to make rolls that would fit the meat.
- New Yorkers consume more hot dogs than any other city
- You’ve heard of dogs in space? Hot dogs are one of NASA’s approved space foods. They’ve been on Apollo moon flights and Skylab missions.
- Chain store 7-11 holds the record for the most grilled hot dogs in a year: around 11 million annually. Feel like challenging them on that record? Good! We’ve got gas and charcoal grills listed under Lawn & Patio.