Hot Dogs, also known as a frankfurter, dog, or wiener, is a type of sandwich, traditionally grilled or steamed and served in a partially sliced bun. It’s a type of sausage sandwich that is served with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish, coleslaw, cheese, chili, olives and sauerkraut. Take a look below for 26 more fun and interesting facts about hot dogs.
- Historians believe that its origins can be traced all the way back to era of the notorious Roman emperor Nero, whose cook, Gaius, may have linked the first sausages.
- The term “hot dog” is credited to sports cartoonist Tad Dorgan. At a baseball game in New York in 1901, vendors began selling hot dachsund sausages in rolls.
- The first words Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse ever uttered in a cartoon were “hot dogs” in “The Karnival Kid” in 1929.
- The average American is believed to eat approximately 60 hot dogs every year.
- Sausage is one of the oldest forms of processed food, having been mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey as far back as the 9th Century B.C.
- Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany, is traditionally credited with originating the frankfurter. However, this claim is disputed by those who assert that the popular sausage – known as a “dachshund” or “little-dog” sausage – was created in the late 1600’s by Johann Georghehner, a butcher, living in Coburg, Germany. According to this report, Georghehner later traveled to Frankfurt to promote his new product.
- It’s said that the frankfurter was developed there in 1487, five years before Christopher Columbus set sail for the new world. The people of Vienna (Wien), Austria, point to the term “wiener” to prove their claim as the birthplace of the hot dog.
- As it turns out, it is likely that the North American hot dog comes from a widespread common European sausage brought here by butchers of several nationalities. Also in doubt is who first served the dachshund sausage with a roll. One report says a German immigrant sold them, along with milk rolls and sauerkraut, from a push cart in New York City’s Bowery during the 1860’s.
- In 1871, Charles Feltman, a German butcher opened up the first Coney Island hot dog stand selling 3,684 dachshund sausages in a milk roll during his first year in business.
- Baseball fans will consume more than 26 million hot dogs at US baseball stadiums this season. That’s enough to circle the bases 36,000 times.
- The average hot dog is consumed in 6.1 bites. (average sized mouth tested)
- NASA has approved hot dogs as a regular item on Apollo moon flights, Skylab missions and space shuttle flights.
- From Memorial Day to Labor Day every year, Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs. That’s 818 hot dogs consumed every second.
- On July 4th, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs
- New Yorkers eat the most hot dogs, more than any other city in the country.
- According to the National Sausage and Hot Dog Council, the most commonly used condiment is mustard which is the topping preferred by 32% of Americans. The second place finisher, with 23% of the vote is ketchup and chili takes the third place spot with 17% of the vote.
- In 1867, Charles Feltman, at Coney Island in New York City, made a cart with a stove on it which he used to boil sausages. The cart also had a compartment to keep buns fresh, which he used to serve the sausages in.
- In 1916, a Polish American employee of Charles Feltman called Nathan Handwerker was encouraged by Eddie Cantor and Jimmy Durante, both working as waiters and musicians, to go into business in competition with his former employer. Handwerker undercut Feltman’s by charging five cents for a hot dog when his former employer was charging ten.
- Nathan’s dogs were reportedly gangster Al Capone’s favorite food.
- 7-Eleven sells the most grilled hot dogs in North America with 100 million being sold annually.
- The year, 1893, was an important date in hot dog history. In Chicago that year, the World’s Columbian Exposition brought hordes of visitors who consumed large quantities of sausages sold by vendors. People liked this food that was easy to eat, convenient and inexpensive.
- President Franklin Roosevelt served King George VI of England hot dogs & beer during a White House visit in 1939.
- When Queen Elizabeth II held a royal banquet for the American Bar Association in 1957, she placed hot dogs on the menu.
- First Lady Rosalynn Carter served hot dogs at a White House picnic in 1977.
- The legendary baseball player Babe Ruth reportedly once ate 12 hot dogs and drank 8 bottles of soda between the two games in a double header. Unsurprisingly, he suffered from a severe case of indigestion and was rushed to the hospital.
- THERE’S A “RIGHT”—AND A “WRONG”—WAY TO EAT HOT DOGS. Enjoy dousing your hot dog with ketchup, or eating it with a knife and a fork? You philistine. According to one American meat trade association’s official etiquette guide for hot dog-eating (yes, this actually exists), it’s tacky to top your frank with the red sauce if you’re over 18 years old, and pretentious to consume it with utensils.
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