Hot tea is a beverage that’s enjoyed all over the world all year long, but iced tea is a favorite of people during the summer months. And we can easily see why that’s the case. There’s nothing better than having a nice cold glass of iced tea on a hot summer day. That’s probably why National Iced Tea Day, a holiday that’s served up annually on June 10th, is one of our favorite beverage-related holidays. It’s a day on which everyone can enjoy sipping their favorite type of iced tea.

The History Of Iced Tea

Even though we tried to determine who invented National Iced Tea Day and when they invented it, our efforts were all in vain. That’s why we’ve decided to switch our proverbial gears and try to find out a little bit about the history of iced tea instead. And what we discovered was nothing short of amazing and worthy of us passing along.

Even though hot tea had been enjoyed for thousands of years in Asia and for hundreds of years in Europe, it wouldn’t be until the early 20th century that someone decided to invent iced tea. According to some historians, iced tea was invented by Richard Blechynden at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. According to reports, he was selling hot tea on this day, but it was so hot few people wanted to drink a hot beverage. This is when he decided to add ice to his steeped tea and serve it to fairgoers. It was an instant hit.

Of course, the story of iced tea being created during the 1904 World’s Fair isn’t the only origin story of iced tea. There are other stories that place the invention of iced tea in the southern portion of the United States right after the Civil War—approximately between 1865 and the early 1870s. Although we’re favorable to the first origin story of this beverage, it’s up to each person to decide which iced tea origin story sounds best to them.

Some Interesting Iced Tea Facts

The next thing that we want to talk about is some of the fun facts we came across when we started researching this holiday. We hope that the following tidbits will be informative and educational to anyone taking the time to read it.

• 80% of the tea sold in the United States is iced tea.
• Americans consume over 2-1/2 billion gallons of prepared tea a year.
• June is National Tea Month.
• Contrary to popular belief, the caffeine in tea doesn’t dehydrate the drinker.

Celebrating National Iced Tea Day

The truth of the matter is that if you want to celebrate National Iced Tea Day, then all you have to do is brew some up and enjoy it. You can drink iced tea while reading your favorite book, watching your favorite movie, or listening to your favorite music. It’s all up to you. And if you do decide to celebrate this holiday, then be sure to use the hashtag #NationalIcedTeaDay, so everyone will know that you’re devoting your day to iced tea.