a brief history of hamburgers

As I sat eating my Burger from the illustrious Burger Baron today, my thoughts turned to this staple of the American diet and where it came from. I was primarily curious because I knew that at one point, I knew something about the burger's origin and had now officially forgotten. Some simple research on the subject has produced the following facts:

1. Hamburgers have their roots in beef tartar which was named after the Tartars (Mongols) who would tenderize sides of beef by riding with them placed under their saddles.

2. The cut apparently comes from the Hamburg area of Germany which then migrated to Russia and eventually the United States in the 1800's.

3. There is much deliberation as to who served the first hamburger, but it seems to have been served around the turn of the century by someone who needed a piece of meat on the go.

For your further reading enjoyment:
History of Hamburgers
BBC Hamburgers in History
A Hamburger Today
About: History of Hamburgers

Well, so there's that. Some context to slather all over your next greasy burger. I didn't promise that all this information would be necessarily interesting. I just have to learn stuff. To continued post-collegiate education!