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20 Fun Facts About Pizza

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I’m not sure something as awesome and universally loved as pizza really needs a special week to be celebrated – most of us celebrate weekly as it is – but that’s okay. It just means that this particular week, you don’t need to justify your desire to order a pie instead of cooking.

Can I get an amen?

#20. Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan holds an advanced degree in “Pizza-ology.”

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He’s one of three people who can say as much, and founded the Domino’s College of Pizza-ology” in the 1980s.

#19. Here’s why you’ll no longer receive your Domino’s pizza in a guaranteed “30 minutes or less.”

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The company fielded a series of lawsuits and rescinded the guarantee in 1993.

#18. Pizza has been used for nefarious purposes.

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The U.S. Army’s 113th Military Intelligence Unit used pizza deliveries to spy on reporters and politicians in the late 60s.

#17. It was part of the longest running criminal jury trial in American history.

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The Pizza Connection trial took place in the 1980s and prosecuted a group of mafia members who were using pizza restaurants as a front for drug trafficking.

#16. Pizza once turned Frankie Munez into a superhero.

Pizza Man released in 2011, and chronicles the life of a pizza delivery guy after he acquires super powers from eating a genetically modified tomato.

#15. The first pizza place in America was in New York City.

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Take that, Chicago – Lombardi’s in NYC started selling pizza in 1905.

#14. In fact, all of the first places to sell pizza in America were in the northeast.

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Boston, Connecticut, and New Jersey followed suit shortly after NYC.

#13. The first shop to sell pizza by the slice was also located in NYC.

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Patsy’s Pizzeria in NYC was the first restaurant to offer pizza by the slice, though the trend was quickly adopted.

#12. Deep dish pizza didn’t come around until 1943.

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The restaurant that created the deep dish went on to become the Pizzeria Uno chain.

#11. Pizza has saved lives.

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In 2008, a Florida delivery man escaped robbers by throwing a hot pizza in their face.

#10. Upper class people used to snub it.

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In the early days, pizza was predominately sold and eaten exclusively by working class Italian immigrants.

#9. The first frozen pizzas hit the market in 1962.

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They were, reportedly, super gross until Ms. Totino entered the game.

#8. Pizza isn’t just for Italians.

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Countries around the world have their own takes on it – green pea toppings in Brazil, fried eggs in France, and a brilliant-sounding crust made of mini-hot dogs in China.

#7. Chuck E. Cheese was founded as a way to make more money off game consoles.

Image Credit: Chuck E. Cheese

If only they would have started serving alcohol sooner, parents would have climbed on board 100%.

#6. They had some competition from ShowBiz Pizza in the 80s.

Image Credit: ShowBiz Pizza

Their nightmare-inducing animatronic band played hit pop songs and original tunes, and the chain was eventually bought out by Chuck E. Cheese.

#5. WWII brought pizza into mainstream cuisine.

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GI’s returning home had gotten a taste for pizza in Italy, and so the consumer base broadened.

#4. The Hawaiian pizza isn’t a new idea.

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It was invented by a Greek man who ran a Canadian pizza place in 1962. Talk about random.

#3. A computer ordered a pizza way back in 1974.

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The Artificial Language Laboratory at Michigan State tested out its new speaking computer by having it order a pepperoni, mushroom, ham, and sausage pizza from a local pizza place.

#2. Plenty of famous people worked for a time as pizza delivery people.

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Stephen Baldwin and Bill Murray, to name a few.

#1. Mozzarella is officially the best pizza cheese.

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In 2014, scientists studied the baking properties of different cheeses and found that mozzarella is the way to go.

Make sure to grab your gooey slice of goodness this week!