8 Fun Facts For National Watermelon Day

Aug. 3 is National Watermelon Day! And what a great hot day to celebrate this cool treat.

Watermelon.org, which represents 1,500 watermelon growers, shippers and importers nationwide, offers these eight fun facts about the juicy fruit:

1. The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt.
2. Watermelon is 92% water.
3. Watermelon's official name is Citrullus Lanatus of the botanical family Curcurbitaceae. It is cousins to cucumbers, pumpkins and squash.
4. By weight, watermelon is the most-consumed melon in the U.S., followed by cantaloupe and honeydew.
5. Early explorers used watermelons as canteens.
6. The first cookbook published in the U.S. in 1776 contained a recipe for watermelon rind pickles.
7. Updated! According to Guinness World Records, the world's heaviest watermelon was grown by Chris Kent of Sevierville, Tennessee in 2013, weighing in at 350.5 lbs. Want to more about how Chris grew a giant watermelon? Check out part one, part two and part three of an interview with Chris.
8. The United States currently ranks 5th in worldwide production of watermelon. Many states grow watermelons with Florida, Texas, California, Georgia and Arizona consistently leading the country in production.

Now let's celebrate. Try this recipe for Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade by Watermelon.org to cool off today:

(Image via Watermelon.org)

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