National Donut Day: This sweet day has been in existence since 1938. It was started by The Salvation Army as a fundraiser and a way to honor the "Donut Lassies," a group of women who traveled to France to serve donuts to soldiers during World War I. Today, The Salvation Army will hand out free donuts to veterans in several cities across the country. They will also host the National Donut Day World Donut Eating Championship at the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C. For everyone else, free donuts will be given away today at participating locations of Dunkin', Krispy Kreme, Duck Donuts, Honey Dew Donuts, Paris Baguette, Lidl, Sheetz, and more.
Here are some other interesting facts about donuts.
•The origin of the donut goes back to the early 1700s when Dutch settlers brought a type of fried cake called “olykoeks.”
•Legend has it that in 1847, a sailor named Hanson Gregory punched a hole in the center of his donut with a pepper box lid so it would cook evenly, giving us the iconic ring shape.
•Every culture around the world has its own version of a fried dough treat.
•The largest donut ever made weighed over 4000 pounds and was filled with jelly. It was created in New York in 1993.
•Americans consume about 10 billion donuts each year. That amounts to about 31 donuts per person.
•According to Google Trends, the most donut-loving state in the country is Rhode Island.
•"Donut" and doughnut" are both correct spellings.