Looking at when the first Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest was held
The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is one of the most unique and absolutely fascinating events that happens in popular culture annually. You would never guess that men and women gorging themselves on hot dogs would create minor celebrities and capture the attention of the United States every 4th of July. However, that’s 100 percent what happens with the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest and rightfully so.
There’s actually quite a bit of buzz heading into the 2016 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest as they are talking about it being the 100th anniversary and after Matt Stonie dethroned Joey Chestnut with the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest crown.
With this being the 100th anniversary of Nathan’s Hot Dogs, though, that might lead some people to believe that this is the 100th Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. And that’s what a long-running urban legend would have you believe as well. However, the notion that the first contest was held in 1916 was a total lie.
But that still begs the question of when the first Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest actually took place.
The first known record of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest taking place was back in 1972 when the contest was only to see how many dogs could be eaten in 3.5 minutes. That’s obviously a far cry from the more contemporary 12 and 10-minute formats. However, that looks to be when the contest originated—and for that we definitely have to be thankful.
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