1. Hot dogs are an approved space food.

Alongside Tang and freeze-dried ice cream, hot dogs have passed NASA’s lengthy approval process for food that is allowed to be taken and consumed in space. Even the Apollo 7 astronauts enjoyed this classic meal on their way to the moon!

2. Americans eat a lot of hot dogs!

According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC), Americans purchase 9 billion hot dogs per year from grocery stores! Adding in what would be consumed at restaurants or ball parks, the NHDSC estimates that the total number consumed in a year is approximately 20 billion hot dogs!

3. The world record for hot dog eating is 76.

Last year (2021) at the annual Nathan’s Famous hot dog eating contest on July 4th, world-famous Joey Chestnut broke his own world record and consumed 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes. For those keeping score at home, that’s about $68 worth of hot dogs in one sitting.

4. The most expensive hot dog costs $2,300.

According to rarest.org you can find this pricey dog at the restaurant 230 Fifth in New York City. It’s made out of top-grade Japanese wagyu beef and topped with onions (that have been caramelized in champagne), caviar, and sauerkraut (that has been braised in, you guessed it, champagne). Oh, and if you’re planning to indulge in this delicacy any time soon, you should know that it has to be ordered 48 hours in advance.

5. There’s a reason hot dogs and their buns don’t match.

By now, we’re sure you’re aware of the bun vs hot dog quantity controversy that made national news last year. But did you know that there is a historical reason for this mismatch? When hot dogs were first sold in the United States, they were not sold in the grocery stores. So, for the hot dog cooks ordering wholesale quantities, ten seemed like a natural choice for packaging. However, when wholesale bun and roll bakeries started to bake the matching buns, they worked with pans that bake long rolls in groups of four that are then stacked to make eight – not ten.