The Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest is an annual contest sponsored by Nathan's Famous held on Coney Island, N.Y. Competitors have 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs as possible. The competition was held for the first time in 1916 and has been held annually (with two exceptions) since then. The event draws as many as 40,000 spectators to the Nathan's Famous restaurant and has been broadcast on ESPN since 2004. In 2011, there was a separate women's competition for the first time.
