Hot Dog Invented

Charles Feltman, a pieman in Coney Island, is credited with a possible origin for serving sausages in rolls. In 1867, he designed a cart with a stove to boil sausages and a compartment to keep buns, serving what became known as "Coney Island Red Hots." His success led him to lease land in 1871 to open a permanent restaurant, expanding his offerings and popularizing the hot dog as a staple at Coney Island. It was popular uncertainty about exactly what kind of meat was in these casings that ultimately determined that it would be called "hot dog".

Another notable claim involves Harry M. Stevens, a food concessionaire at the New York Polo Grounds. He improvised with small French rolls to hold sausages when they ran out of waxed paper, helping popularize the practice.