While no one really knows when doughnuts were invented or who invented them, doughnuts were originally made as a long twist of dough. Not in the ring form that is most common these days. It was also common in England for donuts to be made in a ball shape and injected with Jam after they were cooked. Both methods of cooking involve no human intervention as the ball and twist will turn itself over when the underside is cooked.
American Hansen Gregory claimed to have invented it in 1847 when he was traveling on a steam boat. He was not satisfied with the texture of the center of the donut so he pressed a hole in the center with the ship’s pepper box.
History of Doughnut Day
Doughnut Day came to pass, in part, due to the efforts of a doctor in the military in the first World War who sought to brighten the day of the wounded soldiers he worked on. On his first day to the Military Base, he purchased 8 dozen doughnuts and gave one to each soldier he worked on. After giving one to Lieutenant General Samuel Geary, who received it with great mirth and appreciation for the doctors work, Samuel decided to start a fundraiser, letting the young doctor, Morgan Pett, to continue to provide doughnuts to his patients.
This fundraiser began working together with the Salvation Army who, after a fact-finding mission, determined that many needs of the soldiers could be met by creating social centers that would provide all sorts of amenities, including the doughnuts. The Salvation Army sent 250 volunteers to France to help put these huts together, which soon became a mainstay of military life. One record of a day in the huts recorded up to 300 donuts and 700 cups of coffee being served as part of their service. Due to the majority of the workers being female, the Salvation Army workers started to be known as “Doughnut Dollies.”
Fun Facts
- In the U.S. alone, more than 10 billion doughnuts are made every year.
- The largest doughnut ever made was an American-style jelly donut weighing 1.7 tons, which was 16 feet in diameter and 16 inches high in the center.
- Per capita, Canada has more doughnut shops than any other country.
- Adolph Levitt invented the first doughnut machine in 1920.
- The US doughnut industry is worth 3.6 billion dollars.
- The Guinness World record for doughnut eating is held by John Haight, who consumed 29 donuts in just over 6 minutes.
Looking for a great deal on donuts for National Doughnut Day? Look no further as we have the national list below:
Krispy Kreme – One free donut of any variety, no purchase necessary.
Dunkin’ Donuts – Free classic donut with any beverage purchase on June 3rd.
LaMar’s Donuts – Print this ticket and enjoy one free donut. No specialties included. One ticket per customer.
Giant Eagle – Every Friday, a dozen donuts are just $5 in the Bakery, including National Donut Day!
Entenmann’s – Join Entenmann’s Bakery and The Salvation Army USA as they celebrate National Donut Day from 7am to 1pm June 3rd for a free donut and a cup of coffee. Visit Facebook for details.
Randy’s Donuts – Free donuts holes and a raffle.
Duck Donuts – Free sugar donut with coupon.
Honey Dew Donuts – Free UpBeat Donut with purchase of any medium drink. One per customer.
Shipley Do-Nuts – One free glazed donut from 5 a.m. to noon at participating locations.
Krystal – Offering Classic American strawberry shortcake and cherry pie doughnut until July 9th.
Keurig Keurig is offering 20% off The Original Donut Shop® & Krispy Kreme Doughnuts® varieties + free shipping. Simply enter in the code “DONUTS20” at checkout. This offer is valid through June 4.
Mrs. Fields offering 10 percent off purchase on June 3rd with promo code ENJOY10.
Cumberland Farms – One free donut from 5 a.m. – 10 a.m. with purchase of any hot or iced coffee or Chill Zone beverage.
Sheetz convenience stores is offering their National Donut Day deal a day early on Thursday, June 2nd. Use the Sheetz loyalty card and get a free donut with the purchase of a beverage.
Stan’s Donuts is offering free glazed donuts with the purchase of a drink or gelato.
Tim Hortons Cafe & Bake Shop offers with coupon a 6 pack of donuts for $2.99.
Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar will offer for National Donut Day The Waygu Doughnut Burger as a BOGO deal. That’s an $11.99 value.
Giant Eagle Supermarkets and Market District offer 1/2 dozen free donuts with the purchase of 1/2 dozen. They are also offering one free donut with a purchase of a dispensed cafe beverage.
Sources:
Buzz60 (Video)
