John Montagu (1718– 1792), Fourth Earl of Sandwich, was Britain’s able but corrupt First Lord of the Admiralty during the period of the American Revolution. An avid promoter of exploration, Captain James Cook named the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) after him. Due to his other enthusiasm, gambling, he lent his name to something else. One evening the innovative Earl requested a meal of cold meat between bread slices so he could eat at the card table, and thus the “sandwich” was born. Nice story, anyway.
The incident is said to have occurred in 1762, so the town of Sandwich, Kent is celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the Sandwich this weekend. Surely the Earl of Sandwich lived in Sandwich, right?
No.
“Thank You Earl! England Toasts 250th Anniversary Of The Sandwich,” Tina Kaiser, Die Welt via Worldcrunch
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Image (“Coat of Arms of the Earl of Sandwich”) by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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