National French Fries Day
July 13
Nobody can agree on where French Fries were invented, but supposedly they were used as a fish substitute back in the 1600s. The locals in Belgium normally fried fish, but in the winter the river was frozen so they couldn’t catch any fish. They turned to potatoes as a substitute! French Fries were made official when Thomas Jefferson was president. He actually served them for dinner but called them, “potatoes, fried in the French manner.” They were supposedly his favorite snack! Almost ¼ of all potatoes in America are consumed as French fries. In fact, Americans eat more than 25 pounds of French Fries every year.
World Cup Soccer Day
July 13
The World Cup has been played 20 times; Brazil holds the most titles with five. Italy and Germany are close behind with four each. The first World Cup was played in 1930. Uruguay was both the tournament host and winner that year. While 32 teams qualified for the 2018 tournament, the number will jump to 48 in 2026. All World Cups have been won by European (11) or South American (9) sides. Frenchman Just Fontaine still holds the record for the most goals scored in a single World Cup (13, in 1958). Brazil are the only side to have competed in every World Cup (21), have the most titles, 25 percent of tournaments, and the last to win back to back titles (1958 and 1962).
Today’s Birthdays of Note….
Harrison Ford – Actor – born in Chicago, Illinois
Bob Crane – Actor – Hogan’s Heroes – born in Waterbury, Connecticut
