Origin of the Term "Hot Dog"

While sausages had been around for quite some time, the actual name "hot dog" was coined by cartoonist Thomas "Tad" Dorgan. Dorgan was drawing a cartoon of a "sausage in a roll" for Harry Stevens' concession stand. Dorgan couldn't spell "dachshund," so instead he wrote "hot dog." The name stuck and is used to this day.