July 11: Slurpee Day

Every year enough Slurpee drinks are sold to fill up 12 Olympic-sized swimming pools

Monday, July 11, is Free Slurpee Day at 7-Eleven. (The free Slurpee tradition began in 2002 with 7-Eleven’s 75th birthday).

The company has its origins in 1927 in Dallas, Texas, when an employee of Southland Ice Company, Joe C. Thompson, started selling milk, eggs and bread from an ice house. The original location was an improvised storefront at Southland Ice Company, an ice-manufacturing plant owned by John Jefferson Green. Although small grocery stores and general merchandisers were present in the immediate area, Thompson, the manager of the ice plant, discovered selling convenience items, such as bread and milk, was popular due to the ice’s ability to preserve the items. This significantly cut back on the need to travel long distances to the grocery stores for basic items. Thompson eventually bought the Southland Ice Company and turned it into Southland Corporation, which oversaw several locations which opened in the Dallas area. Initially, these stores were open from 7 am to 11 pm, hours unprecedented in their length, hence the name. The company began to use the 7-Eleven name in 1946. By 1952, 7-Eleven opened its 100th store. It was incorporated as Southland Corporation in 1961.

Read some fun facts about Slurpee at http://www.slurpee.com/Amusement/Facts.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7-Eleven