It has boosted the spirits of World War One soldiers serving on the front lines.
The star of America's longest-running animated television series, Homer Simpson, praised its warm, doughy taste.
It is heart-shaped and filled with jelly, and it was even served to celebrate the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Since 1938, we have celebrated the donut or doughnut on National Donut Day in the US on June 2.
Millions of Americans swarm into bakeries across the nation on this day every year to consume the more than 10 billion donuts produced there each year.
Many people don't realize that the custom actually began in the early 20th century near the French battlefields of World War One.
The Salvation Army sent the Donut Lassies, a group of female soldiers, to France in 1917 to set up bases close to the front lines. They would bake sweet circular treats, which would draw hordes of soldiers to temporary huts.
It is unclear whether the donuts' glaze or the happy faces of the women who served them helped the soldiers' morale.
The donut began its ascent toward the peak of American popularity after the US troops at the time known as the "doughboys" and the Donut Lassies returned home.
The Salvation Army, the organization that promotes the day, claims that the first National Donut Day was observed in Chicago in 1938 as a tribute to the Donut Lassies.
However, the donut had existed for a very long time.
Under the Dutch name olykoeks (oily cakes), it first arrived on American soil.
The name "doughnut" was given to it in the middle of the 19th century on a ship out of New England where the captain's mother would fry food for the crew and put hazelnuts or walnuts in the center, where the dough frequently didn't cook through.
The woman's son, Hanson Gregory, is largely credited with having created the circular phenomenon, although donut historians disagree as to who was the first to include the distinctive ring-shaped hole in the center.
And moving forward to the present, well-known donut chains like Krispy Kreme, Dunkin, and Duck Donuts will be giving away free goods to customers across the US on Friday.
