The Salvation Army declared the first Friday of June National Doughnut day in 1938 to commemorate the World War I soldiers' affinity for the sweet treats. Women volunteers with the Salvation Army handed out doughnuts to the men on the front lines, who then took their predilections home with them. (That's where the name Doughboy comes from.)

 

We scoured the Library of Congress' photo archives for historic pictures of doughnut-eating in action. You can click through to our Flickr page to see the details and descriptions of the photos. Enjoy the slideshow!

 

 

Some more things you might enjoy: