Charlie Nagreen
Charles "Hamburger Charlie" Nagreen (1870-1951) was an American claimant to the title of inventor of the hamburger.[1]
Career
Born in Hortonville, Wisconsin, at 15 Nagreen was a vendor at the 1885 Seymour Fair.[2] After not experiencing success selling meatballs, he had an idea.[2][3] Knowing that the visitors to the fair would be hungry after gazing at the exhibits but wouldn't be able to walk and eat, he smashed a meatball and placed it between two slices of bread.[2] His idea was a success and he returned every year until his death in 1951.[2]
Controversy
The name of the Hamburger came from the idea of "Hamburg steak", or ground beef.[2] Since this was a popular item in Seymour at the time of the 1885 fair, Nagreen decided to call the sandwich the "Hamburger".[2] This claim is supported by various local history organizations,[4] but not widely accepted; see History of the hamburger in the United States.
References
- ↑ http://www.seymourhistory.org/news/?id=35
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Heuer, Myron (1999-10-12). "The real home of the hamburger". Herald & Journal. Retrieved 2008-03-24.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-04-05. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
- ↑ e.g. Home of the Hamburger, Seymour, Wisconsin
External links
Charles Nagreen at Find a Grave.