People Have Been Cooking Bacon Since 1500 BC. The First Sliced And Packaged Bacon Was In 1924.

On December 30th each year, bacon lovers celebrate one of nature’s favored gifts on Bacon Day!

• 1500 BC – As one of the oldest cuts of meat in history, bacon during this time may have been from the back of the animal or from the belly. It is salted to preserve freshness and is probably very fatty
• 500 AD – The origins of Bacon stretch back to the Middle Ages, with the name originating in Middle English from the word “Bacoun”. Following it back you find it in France as Bako, Germany as Bakko, and old Teutonic as Backe. All of these words mean “back”.
• 12th Century – You may recognize the phrase “bringing home the bacon” as a reference to making money. In 12th-century England, churches would award a side of bacon (which they called a “flitch”) to any married man who swore before God that he and his wife had not argued for a year and a day. Therefore, men who “brought home the bacon” were looked upon as good husbands and citizens.
• 1490 – Christopher Columbus brings 8 pigs to Cuba at the insistence of Queen Isabella.
• 1539 – Hernando de Soto brought 13 pigs to Tampa Bay.
• 1770 – John Harris set up the first large-scale bacon curing business and developed a special brining solution called the “Wiltshire Cure,” which is still used today.
• 1883 – Oscar Mayer was established in the United States.
• 1924 – The first sliced and packaged bacon hit grocery store shelves thanks to Oscar Meyer.
• 1939 – During WWII, the U.S. government urged citizens to donate their excess bacon fat to the army. A whole committee was even created for it: The American Fat Salvage Committee. The fat was used to make glycerin, which in turn was used to make bombs.
• 1968 – The First Manned Mission Around The Moon Featured Bacon.  All Apollo 8 breakfasts had a key element of bacon in them, and the entire crew loved it so much they said they’d even eat the space bacon back on Earth.
• 1980 – Hardees is one of the first fast-food companies to add bacon to their sandwich.
• 1997 – Although some disputes exist about the origins of National Bacon Day, one story goes that two friends want a gift-giving day at the end of the year that is unrelated to religion. Naming it National Bacon Day includes paying homage to the famous cartoon character Homer Simpson and his love for bacon.
• 2005 – While no one is quite sure who came up with it, bacon and chocolate meet to create a delicious treat. It seems to have appeared first in the United States but may have had other origins that are undocumented.
• 2010 – In a 2010 Maple Leaf national survey, four in ten (43%) Canadians chose bacon when asked to choose between bacon and sex. Respondents from British Columbia seemed to be particularly fond of bacon as 50% said they would give up sex before bacon. By contrast, only 37% in Quebec would give up sex before bacon.
• In the United States and Canada, bacon is made from pork belly.
• Bacon is one of the oldest processed meats. The Chinese were the first to cook salted pork bellies over 3000 years ago.
• 70% of all bacon in the US is eaten at breakfast time.
• More than 2 billion pounds of bacon is produced yearly in the US.
• Americans Eat about 18 pounds per person per year.
• Percentage of Americans that would support bacon as the National Food: 65%
• Percentage of bacon that is cooked in a microwave: 15%
• Held every year in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Camp Bacon offers a wide range of bacon-related activities which include speakers, cooking classes, and of course, bacon tasting.
• Can’t get enough of that sweet, delicious bacon smell? There’s a bacon cologne for that. A scent by Fargginay, bacōn (pronounced “bay-cone”) is the world’s first bacon fragrance.
• Originally intended as an April Fool’s prank, J&D’s Foods created the first known bacon condom. The condoms were made from latex and coated with a bacon water-based lube.
• Some unusual products with bacon flavor: bacon toothpaste, bacon salt, bacon hot sauce, bacon vodka, bacon beer, bacon coffee, bacon tea, bacon olive oil, bacon ice cream, bacon cupcakes, bacon lollipops, and bacon candy canes.
• There is a church in Las Vegas called “The United Church of Bacon” and it is exactly what it sounds like.
• The celebration of bacon doesn’t have to be limited to only one day! Take it throughout the year by joining a Bacon of the Month Club. A few different companies will send a different variety of bacon to your door each month–it’s not even necessary to leave home!
• Des Moines hosts the annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, attracting thousands of bacon enthusiasts. The event features bacon-inspired dishes, lectures, and even a bacon-eating contest, highlighting the community’s passion for this savory treat.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Days of the Year

List 25

Little Things

Mental Floss

Just Fun Facts

Lunds and Byerlys

Expanded Ramblings

National Today