Famous Sandwiches In History

For most people, a good sandwich makes a great, quick meal. (Let the record show Heidi is not ‘most people.’)

So, while all around the world, people debate which sandwich is the best, who makes the best sandwich, and what are the ingredients in an authentic cheesesteak, we thought we’d take a look some of the famous sandwiches in history.

Some might tell you that Mama Cass Elliott choked to death on a ham sandwich. First off, we would never include that on this list. Also, it’s not true. (Sorry.) Also, the fact that John Lennon’s last meal was a corned beef sandwich is also not on this list, because, it makes us sad just to think about it. But, thankfully, sandwich history is not always so depressing.

The first sandwich was supposedly made for John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. The Earl had a awful gambling addiction, and during one long game, he asked the cook to whip up something he could eat without leaving the table. And, while that’s the story on how the sandwich was born, people in Greece and Turkey were eating foods ‘sandwiched’ between two pieces of bread long before the Earl came along.

During the Great Depression, Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt would eat bread & butter sandwiches to show that they were sympathetic to the plight of so many Americans. FDR’s favorite food was a grilled cheese oozing with cheese, and when King George VI visited the Roosevelts’ home in Hudson, NY, they served hot dogs.

Maybe the most famous sandwich is the corned beef sandwich that Gemini 3 astronaut John Young snuck into the capsule on March 23rd, 1965. On the tape of the mission, you can hear Gus Grissom ask, “where did that come from?” as Young pulled the sandwich from his suit. Apparently, it smelled great, but the big problem was that weightlesness led to the sandwich to start to fall apart. Thankfully, the sandwich is now preserved for history.

Could there be a more famous sandwich in history?

Well, Meg Ryan’s famous orgasm in When Harry Met Sally was over a turkey sandwich, so, you tell us.