Celebrate the hamburger

May is National Hamburger Month.  How many of us won't be eating a burger by the end of Memorial Day weekend?

If we're going to be eating our burgers, we should know a little something about them.

* Americans eat more than 50 billion hamburgers a year.

* The most popular topping is ketchup.

* According to White Castle, Otto Kuase invented the hamburger in Hamburg Germany in  1891. Thus, the word "Hamburger" is derived from "Hamburg."

* Speaking of White Castle, they were the first major hamburger chain.  They sold their first "sliders" in 1921 for five cents apiece.

* Burgers account for 40 percent of all sandwiches.

* During World War One hamburgers were called "Liberty Sandwiches."

* McDonald's sells 75 burgers every second.

* The Big Mac was first introduced by McDonald's in 1968.  It cost 49 cents.

* Hamburgers and cheeseburgers are said to comprise about 71 percent of beef served in commercial restaurants.

* The largest burger, ever, weighed in at 8,266 pounds.  It was cooked at the Burger Fest in 2001 in Seymour, WI.

- 65 percent of all hamburgers and cheeseburgers are consumed away from home.

No matter if you like yours with ketchup, mustard, relish, mayo or chili.  Enjoy hamburger month!