National Hot Dog Day Wacky Wiener Facts

Ah yes, today we honor an delicious treat that's as American as baseball, the bald eagle and the red, white and blue.

It's National Hot Dog Day! Grab wieners and buns and head for the grill! If you're not grubbin' on a delectable ballpark frank today, then do you really love America?

Well, actually hot dogs aren't as All-American as we think. Which leads me to the whole point of this: it's time to hit you with some wacky Wednesday wiener wisdom!

The Frankfurter

Did you ever know why we often call hot dogs, frankfurters? Well, my friends, that's because it's named after Frankfurt, Germany. That's where pork sausages, much like hot dogs, originated.

The Mysterious Origin of The Hot Dog

It's mysterious because no one actually knows how the hot dog started. Obviously, someone took a sausage and tossed it into a bun, but no one knows who did it first.

The Top Dog of Dog Toppings

I'm a weirdo and I actually don't really put anything on my hot dogs. Just a lil' BBQ sauce and I'm golden. That's obviously not normal, so what's the most popular topping for the hot dog? According to Mentalfloss.com, that would be mustard. Yuck.

High-Class Hot Dog

According to Mentalfloss.com, a hot dog once sold for $169. I wish to add nothing more to this fact. Just let that set in. Someone paid $169 for a hot dog.

The Wiener King

Joey Chestnut is undoubtedly the king of hot dogs. In this year's Nathan's Fourth-of-July Hot Dog Eating Contest, he shoved 74 hot dogs and buns in his face in just 10 minutes. I love me some hot dogs--but that's a bit much.

So there you have it, hot dog heads! Now go get your Joey Chestnut on and gobble down those franks.