Photo Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

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Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest

One humble hot dog vendor's American Dream

For the complete photos with media resources, visit: Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, which takes place every Fourth of July on Brooklyn's Coney Island boardwalk, has long been an Independence Day tradition in the United States. In this yearly gastronomical showdown, qualified contestants have ten minutes to eat as many Nathan's Famous hot dogs (and buns) as they can. Five-time defending champion Joey Chestnut repeated for a sixth championship in 2012, matching the world record he set in 2009 of 68 hot dogs in ten minutes. That's more than one whole hot dog every ten seconds.

More than just a feeding frenzy, the contest has its roots deep in United States history. Behind the mustard and sore stomachs lies nearly a century of summer fun and a classic American Dream story.

Hot dog visionary Nathan Handwerker was born in Poland on July 14, 1882 to Jewish parents. He emigrated to New York City in 1912, where he began working in the kitchen of Feltman's restaurant in Coney Island. Ambitious for a slice of American success, Handwerker opened his own hot dog stand--which he would later title Nathan's Famous--in 1916. The stand would grow in popularity along with Coney Island as a destination spot. When the subway line was extended to Coney Island in 1920, it was estimated that visitors bought 75,000 Nathan's hot dogs each weekend.

The origins of the eating contest reveal yet another layer of the immigrant experience. Legend has it that the first-ever hot dog eating contest took place on July 4, 1916 between four immigrants arguing over who was the most patriotic. James Mullen, an Irish immigrant, won by eating 13 hot dogs in 12 minutes and the Fourth of July tradition was born.*

Over time, Nathan's came to be synonymous with Coney Island as a summertime destination and the contest with time-honored Fourth of July traditions. The contest's growth over the last century into the largest competitive eating contest in the world is a reminder that with a little ingenuity, even a poor immigrant's corner hot dog stand can grow into a national symbol. Needless to say, ketchup and mustard can't hurt! What better way could there be to celebrate the Fourth of July?

*Note: many sources have since acknowledged that this may be more legend than fact, but the Nathan's franchise maintains that the spirit of the contest is inspired by this patriotic tale.

Fast Facts

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Nathan Handwerker was one of more than 2.5 million Poles and 1.1 million Jews to emigrate to the United States between 1850 and 1920. The majority of these immigrants settled in large industrial cities and worked as laborers either in manufacturing or operating heavy machinery.

Handwerker and his wife Ida came to the United States via New York's famed Ellis Island in 1912. More than 12 million immigrants, mostly from Europe, passed through the island's gates between 1892 and 1954.

On July 4, 1918, at the height of World War I, immigrant leaders across the country organized a nationwide demonstration of unity and support for the American cause. Common commemorative activities included reading President Woodrow Wilson's holiday address and the Declaration of Independence.

2011 was the first year that Nathans Famous held a separate men's and women's contest. The inaugural women's champion was Sonya The Black Widow Thomas, who set a womens record by eating 40 hot dogs in ten minutes. The next year, she repeated as champion and broke her own record, consuming 45 hot dogs.

In 2011, roughly 40,000 fans attended the contest at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues in the heart of the Coney Island boardwalk. An additional 1.95 million tuned into ESPN's live broadcast.

Nathan Handwerker was posthumously inducted into the Coney Island History Project's Hall of Fame in 2006 for his contributions to the boardwalk's fame and success.

Vocabulary

Term

Part of Speech

Definition

ambitious

adjectiveeager to achieve wealth, power, status, or a specific goal.

century

noun 100 years.

commemorateverb to honor an event on a specific date.

destination noun place where a person or thing is going.

emigrate

verb to move from one's native land to another.

gastronomicaladjectivehaving to do with eating.

immigrant noun person who moves to a new country or region.

inaugural

adjectivefirst.

independence noun state or situation of being free.

ingenuity

noun cleverness or resourcefulness.

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Term Jewish

Part of Speech

Definition

having to do with the religion or culture of people tracing their ancestry to

adjectivethe ancient Middle East and the spiritual leaders Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

nation national patriotic

subway

noun political unit made of people who share a common territory.

adjectivehaving to do with the government or people of a country.

adjectivesupporting and celebrating a nation and its people.

noun

underground railway; a popular form of public transportation in large urban areas.

Woodrow Wilson

noun (1856-1924) 28th president of the United States.

World War I noun

(1914-1918) armed conflict between the Allies (led by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France) and the Central Powers (led by Germany and Austria-Hungary). Also called the Great War.

Articles & Profiles NPR: Searching History for the Hot Dog's Origin The New York Times: How We Adopted the Fourth of July San Francisco Chronicle: Joey Chestnut: Six Straight in Hot Dog Eating Contest

Websites Nathan's Famous: Picture Timeline

? 1996?2016 National Geographic Society. All rights res erved.

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