The Fourth of July is the time to celebrate all glorious things American: Independence, apple pie, blowing things up in your backyard. One of the most beloved traditions, of course, is the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn. For more than a century, men and women have been shoving an absurd number of water-soaked hotdogs down their gullets. The reigning champ is Joey Chestnut, who last year consumed 70 hot dogs in only 10 minutes. Chestnut also holds records for eating chicken wings, chili, glazed donuts, tiny hamburgers, and dozens of others.
Major League Eating–the organization responsible for coordinating professional eating contests in the U.S.–holds about 80 events annually, some of which are televised on ESPN. Eating contests traditionally started as spectacles at county fairs, usually involving pies. Yet over the years the contests have morphed and have gained popularity with shows like Man V. Food.
Here, The Daily Beast takes a look at the evolution of stuffing your face in the name of sport.
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Early leaders in the John R. Thompson Pie Eating Handicap held at the Lagoon Theatre course at the World's Fair, September 7, 1934.
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Third from left, Greene Courtney winning a spaghetti-swooshing contest in which the spaghetti must be eaten with use of face, lips and tongue only, July 16, 1949.
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Six-year-old Richard Baranski caresses a full belly after being crowned Cranberry Pie Eating Champion, upon eating a 10-inch cranberry pie in 15 seconds flat. The contest was part of a national celebration of cranberries.
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Four young dancers of the Italia Conti School compete in a potato eating contest in Green Park, London. They are (L to R) Frances Reynolds of Palmers Green, Sonia Hoey of Hampton Court, Maureen Bullion of Catford and Elizabeth Hewitt of Erith in Kent, July 25, 1952.
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Lois and Ruth Waddell, who at a single sitting devoured 204 oysters between them. The girls were judged the winners in the great oyster eating contest held among the members of the follies company.
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"Crazy Legs" Conti poses with cannolis after winning the eighth annual Little Italy Cannoli Eating Competition on September 10, 2009 in New York City. The competition is coinciding with the 82nd annual Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy. "Crazy Legs" Conti won the contest by devouring 20.5 cannolis in six minutes.
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A participate closes eyes due to pungent chillies during an eating competition at a tourism resort on July 2, 2016 in Lijiang, Yunnan Province of China. Nine participates entered final stage during an eating chilli competition with thousands of visitors joining in. A participate from Chengdu City of Sichuan Province won the champion - a 24-karat gold chilli, after he ate 47 chillies in two minutes.
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TV personality Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi hosts WE TV's "Bridezillas" kick off of it's 10th anniversary and final season with a cake eating competition on May 30, 2013 in New York City.
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Tim Janus, Joey Chestnut, and Matt Stonie compete in the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest at Nathan's Famous in Coney Island on July 4, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Chestnut, of San Jose, California, ate 69 hotdogs in ten minutes to win his seventh straight title. Chestnut is the reigning champion.
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