National Doughnut Day
Donuts are a snack made from a sweetened dough, usually consisting of flour, sugar, milk, and some sort of fat or shortening ingredient. Some donuts are raised using yeast, while others are made from a yeast-free dough.2
The origin of National Donut Day lies with the Salvation Army and its volunteer work during World War I. It dates back to 1938 when the organization proposed the day in commemoration of this volunteer work, and to raise funds.3 National Donut Day is generally only popular in the United States, but may be known or publicized by some retailers or food writers outside of the U.S. It is a holiday with a known source, but it is not recognized or endorsed as a national holiday by government.
It seems that donuts existed in the United States prior to the events of World War I, but they were far less ubiquitous and well-known. The explosion in popularity of the doughnut in the United States occurred after World War I, when the huge number of American troops who had come to enjoy the snack staple returned home. The troops even became known as “doughboys”, and the demand for the snack from these returning Americans fueled the mass production of donuts. The relatively low cost of production also assisted the growth in popularity of the snack from the 1920s onward.43