6abc Action News' National Donut Day facts to chew on

The first Friday in June is National Donut Day!

Before you go get your free donut (or second, or third), chew on these delicious facts that won't add to your calorie count.

According to MentalFloss.com, over 10 billion donuts are made in the U.S. each year.

In the latest research, the doughnut industry in America is worth $3.6 billion.

Merriam-Webster cites the first use of the word doughnut occurred in 1782.

Now, as you may have read, we've been spelling donut two different ways. That's because there are two different ways to spell doughnut - or donut.

The official dictionary spelling of doughnut is D-O-U-G-H-N-U-T.

However, since at least the late 19th century, the U.S. has been spelling the word D-O-N-U-T. It really took off in the late 20th century with the popularity of Dunkin' Donuts.

National Doughnut Day was created by The Salvation Army in Chicago in 1938 to honor the 'Donut Lassies,' women who served the doughnuts to soldiers in World War I.

Though Philly has its share of donut shops, it's Boston that has the most donut shops per person: 1 for every 2,480 people.

And the most popular donut, according to Ranker, is glazed. Chocolate frosted comes in second.