That delicious treat we call a sandwich gets its name from John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, who lived a long time ago--from 1718 to 1792.
The Earl of Sandwich looks a lot like George Washington, huh? Yes, that look was very popular back then. Both George and the Earl are wearing wigs! Fashion is a funny thing.
Sandwich is a town near the east coast of England. An Earl is an English nobleman, less important than a duke, more important than a Baron.
As the legend goes, The Earl of Sandwich loved to play cards. Because he didn't want to get up from the card table to go to dinner, he ordered his servants to bring him salted beef between two slices of toasted bread. Other people at the card table started ordering "the same as Sandwich".
The Earl of Sandwich didn't exactly invent the sandwich. Many people had already been eating them, but without the catchy name. (They called them "bread and meat" or "bread and cheese".) For centuries the Jewish Passover service has included a sandwich made of two pieces of unleavened bread (mahtzoh) and bitter herbs.
The Earl of Sandwich held many powerful jobs. He was England's Postmaster, later its Secretary of State, but most importantly he was in charge of England's Navy during the American Revolution. The Earl of Sandwich was terrible at this job! (Maybe he was too busy playing cards and eating sandwiches.) The American Navy, dispite being much smaller, had much success against the badly managed English fleet. Many people believe this was a big reason America was able to become independent from England. One more reason to love the sandwich!
