24 August is National Waffle Day

National Waffle Day is celebrated on 24 August because it was on this day in 1869 that Cornelius Swarthout of New York filed the first patent for a non-electric waffle iron.  His waffles had the same pattern as the already familiar Belgian waffles, with the large rectangular indentations. The waffle itself, however, was round and could be divided into four pieces. This waffle shape is therefore known today as the American waffle.  

Alongside this holiday for the square, national versions of waffles, there is also International Waffle Day, which is celebrated on 25 March. On this date, exactly nine months before Christmas, heart-shaped waffles are baked with a playful wink.