When you think of hot dogs, you may think of Oscar Mayer. But long before this German immigrant and his brother Gottfried began producing and marketing these meaty sticks in the early 1900’s, frankfurters had been made in Frankfurt, Germany years before in 1852. Read this informative article and find out some little known facts about hot dogs that may interest you!
Royal Feasts Hot dogs are usually eaten at informal gatherings like cook outs, baseball games, and at home. However, when King George VI of England visited the United States in 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt served him hot dogs & beer. When Queen Elizabeth II held a royal banquet for the American Bar Association in 1957, she placed hot dogs on the menu. And, First Lady Rosalynn Carter followed suit when she served hot dogs at a White House picnic in 1977.
Famous Fans
Hot dogs- which are also known as “frankfurters”, “franks”, “weiners”, “weinies” and “ball parks”, are a staple of the American diet. They are known as the “Common Man’s Food” because they’re readily available, cheap to buy and easy to prepare. However, some famous fans of this encased meat includes German actress Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992). She preferred to wash them down with champagne. American Major League baseball player Babe Ruth (1895 – 1948) once gobbled down a dozen hot dogs and eight soda pops during a break in a double header. The mixture reportedly gave him severe indigestion. English Actor Cary Grant (1904 – 1986) and gangster Al Capone (1899 – 1947) are said to have favored Nathan’s Coney Island Hot Dogs above all the others. Celebrities George Clooney, Naomi Campbell and Nicole Richie are also said to love hot dogs.
Side note- A little known fact about Mickey Mouse is that his first words were “Hot dogs!” He spoke them in the 1929 short flick titled “The Karnival Kid.
World Record
A little known fact about hot dogs is that it usually takes about six bites to polish one (in a bun) off. In 2007, Joey “Jaws” Chestnut broke the current record by eating 59-1/2 hot dogs in buns during the Southwest Regional Hot Dog Eating Championship in Tempe, Arizona. Chestnut gobbled them down in 12 minutes. The feat earned him a year’s supply of hot dogs and a gift certificate.
First Moon Food
Another little known fact about hot dogs is that they were among the first foods that were eaten on the moon. When Neil Armstrong and “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. made their Apollo 11 space flight in 1969, they ate hot dogs, bacon, canned peaches and sugar cookies.
Ingredients
Hot dogs have long gotten a bad rap for being made of inferior ingredients like meat scraps. Although their production is regulated by the FDA, some hot dogs are made with meat byproducts such fat, heart, liver, kidneys, et cetera. These ingredients must be listed on the package.
American Favorite
Americans love hot dogs. In fact, they love them so much they eat more than 16 billion hot dogs annually. Kids, especially love these meaty creations. Ironically, they’re not the safest food for young kids to eat. A little known fact about hot dogs is that the The American Academy of Pediatrics states that children under 4 years old should not eat hot dogs because of the risk of them choking.
