I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! We understand that this summer feels different from those of years past, but there is one frozen dessert that is still available and ready for you to enjoy on a hot summer day.

Sunday, June 19, is National Ice Cream Day. We thought there was no better way to commemorate this delicious unofficial holiday than sharing a collection of fun facts:

• New Zealanders consume more ice cream per capita than any other country in the world. Americans hold the second slot.
• Thomas Jefferson is credited with having written the first ice cream recipe in the United States. You can see a copy from the Library of Congress.
• Vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor in the country.
• Chocolate syrup is the world’s favorite ice cream topping.
• It takes about 3 gallons of milk to make one gallon of ice cream.
• About 9% of all milk produced in the US is used exclusively for ice cream.
• According to Ben & Jerry’s Flavor Gurus, 8 degrees to 10 degrees Fahrenheit is the ideal temperature for serving ice cream.
• 87% of Americans have ice cream in their freezer at any given time.
• “Brain freeze” happens when something cold touches the roof of your mouth, causing the blood vessels that run between your mouth and brain to tense up. You may be able to reduce the tension by placing your tongue on the roof of your mouth to warm up the surface.
• NASA has said that ice cream ranks in the top three most missed foods when astronauts leave for space missions; pizza and soda also make the list.
• 1 in 10 Americans admit to licking the bowl clean.
• It is believed that it takes about 50 licks to finish a single scoop ice cream cone.

There you have it – a dozen fun facts about America’s favorite frozen treat. Now, we encourage you to celebrate with a scoop, whether it comes from the freezer or your favorite local shop. What do you like best about ice cream? Let us know in the comments below.

Happy National Ice Cream Day from Lions Pride!