Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest: A Myth Unraveled

Every year, as July 4th approaches, the announcer shares a familiar tale about the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. Supposedly, the competition originated in 1916, where four immigrants at Coney Island vied for the title of the most patriotic American by eating the most hot dogs within 12 minutes. The story claims that Irish immigrant James Mullen won by consuming 13 hot dogs. But, here’s the thing—it’s not true.

This narrative was actually created in the early 1970s by two publicists for Nathan’s, Max Losey and Mortimer Mutz, who needed a way to promote the contest as an older American tradition.

Matz, reflecting on the past in 2010, acknowledged in an interview with a major newspaper, “We built it in true Coney Island style.” A spokesperson for Nathan’s later confirmed that no record exists of such a contest before the involvement of Matz and Losey.

Interestingly, the early contests didn’t even have a fixed date; they took place around Memorial Day, Labor Day, and sometimes in April. In some retellings, famous entertainer Jimmy Durante was supposed to compete, judged by notable figures like Eddie Cantor and Sophie Tucker.

The first official contest, according to the former president of Nathan’s, occurred in 1972. “We were honestly just waiting for a couple of hefty folks to stroll by and ask about entering the hot dog contest,” Wayne Norbitz recounted, having presided over the company for 26 years.

Nathan’s still promotes the event as if it’s a longstanding tradition since 1916, which, when you think about it, is pretty ironic for a holiday that celebrates truthfulness.

Six-time champion Takeru Kobayashi, dubbed “The Tsunami,” faced a question about whether a hot dog counts as a sandwich. His response? “No, no. We must give hot dogs the respect they deserve. First, hot dogs are American. Sandwiches are not American. Second, hot dogs are like pop stars. They’re universally known and loved.”

Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain once described the bun as a “ballistic delivery system,” cautioning that ordering a “hot dog sandwich” at a decent stand could raise eyebrows. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council has officially classified hot dogs as their own entity, distinct from sandwiches.

Perhaps, the most mythical aspect of Nathan’s origin story from 1916 is the ongoing debate about the true definition of a hot dog itself.