Throughout the years, watermelon has found itself in many pickles, jams, and other interesting situations. How many of these facts did you know?

• The word "watermelon" first appeared in the English dictionary in 1615.

• Watermelon's official name is Citrullus lanatus of the botanical family Cucurbitaceae, and it is a fruit! It is related to tomatoes, pumpkins, squash, zucchini, etc.

• Believed to originate from the Kalahari Desert in South Africa, the first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt.

• Watermelon is grown in over 96 countries, and there are now 1,200 varieties worldwide.

• While most Americans associate watermelon with the 4 th of July, picnics and apple pie, it is actually consumed much more heavily in other countries. A truly international fruit, 30 times more watermelon is consumed in China than in the United States, for example.

• A watermelon was once thrown at Greek orator Demosthenes during a political debate. Placing the watermelon upon his head, he thanked the thrower for providing him with a helmet to wear as he fought Philip of Macedonia.

• Watermelon is 92% water, and early explorers used watermelons as canteens.

• Food Historian John Martin Taylor says that early Greek settlers brought the method of pickling watermelon with them to Charleston, South Carolina.

• Every part of a watermelon is edible, even the seeds and rinds. In Asia, the seeds are roasted. Rinds are pickled in Russia and the West. (The first cookbook published in the United States in 1796 contained a recipe for watermelon rind pickles.)

• In 1990, Bill Carson, of Arrington, Tennessee, grew the largest watermelon at 262 pounds; it remains on the record books, according to the 1998 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

• In China and Japan, watermelon is a popular gift to bring a host.

• In most Mediterranean countries, the sweet taste of watermelon is sometimes paired with feta.

• Watermelon is the most popular flavor of Jolly Rancher's Candies

• By weight, watermelon is the most-consumed melon in the U.S., followed by cantaloupe and honeydew.

• In 2005, over 4.5 billion lbs of watermelon were consumed in the US.

• Watermelon is an ideal health food because it is virtually fat free (less than 1% RDI is in an 8 oz. serving, resulting from seeds during pressing) or cholesterol, is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6 and C, and contains fiber and potassium.

• Contrary to popular belief, eating watermelon seeds will not cause a watermelon to grow in your stomach.