As the nation's first major drive-thru hamburger chain, Jack in the Box has been a leader in fast-food innovations. The company introduced the industry's first breakfast sandwich in 1969 and the first portable salad in 1982.

In the 1950s, a Jack in the Box hamburger sold for just 18 cents.

Unlike some chains that offer certain products only at certain times, Jack in the Box serves its breakfast sandwiches - and all other menu items - throughout the day and night.

If all of the Jack in the Box burgers made since 1951 were placed side by side, they would circle the earth more than 12 times.

From 1963 to 1982, Jack in the Box produced several menu items in manufacturing facilities located at the chain's corporate headquarters in San Diego, including tacos and onion rings.

Gone, but not forgotten, the chain has a few renowned menu items that have gone the way of mood rings and shag carpeting, including a fish sandwich called the Moby Jack, introduced in 1970, and Frings®, a combination of onion rings and french fries, introduced in 1979.

Jack in the Box unveiled the "stealth" fry in 1996. The new crispier fry retained heat longer than previous versions and are preferred by customers.

Jack in the Box jumped on the boy-band bandwagon with the fictional singing sensations - The Meaty Cheesy Boys®. Following the airing of their first commercial and launch of their own Web site, the fake fab five snagged an invite to the 1999 Billboard Music Awards where they performed their smash hit "Ultimate Cheeseburger."

Real Jack in the Box employees, not actors, are featured at the end of the chain's radio advertising spots.

Long before he was an "Easy Rider," actor Dennis Hopper worked at a Jack in the Box restaurant in La Mesa, Calif.

The chain's signature hamburger, the Jumbo Jack®, is the company's best-selling burger. Here's some more tantalizing tidbits about the Jumbo Jack:

• The Jumbo Jack got its name because it was considered one of the largest burgers in the fast-food industry when it was introduced in 1971.

• In May 1999, Jack in the Box added ketchup to the Jumbo Jack, the first significant change to the chain's classic sandwich in 20 years. Ketchup bumped Jack's signature "special sauce" from the burger, but due to guests' demands, special sauce is still available on request.

• At 4,200 feet, the Golden Gate Bridge is 11,200 Jumbo Jacks long.

• Jack slices 21,824,000 tomatoes and shreds 8,730,000 heads of lettuce each year to garnish his Jumbo Jacks.

• There are an average of 175 sesame seeds on each Jumbo Jack bun.

Jack in the Box tacos, a permanent menu item since the mid-1950s, have developed a loyal, almost cult following among guests. Consider these taco facts:

• Jack in the Box is the first major hamburger fast-food chain to offer tacos in all its restaurants.

• 600 Jack in the Box tacos are eaten each minute, a total of 315,360,000 tacos each year.

• Jack in the Box uses 16 million pounds of fresh, stone-ground, US-grown corn each year to make tortillas - that's approximately 2,500 acres of corn.

• The pattern of brown flecks on the taco shell, a distinguishing characteristic of Jack in the Box tacos, are grill marks resulting from the chain-linked conveyor belt that moves the tortillas through a 700-degree oven.

• Jack in the Box hands out 136 million packets of taco sauce each year.

• Jack in the Box purchases 11 million pounds of beef each year just for tacos.

• Placed end to end, the number of Jack in the Box tacos sold each year would reach a distance of approximately 28,500 miles, more than once around the earth.

In addition to the original antenna ball featuring a pointy, yellow hat, the company has produced antenna toppers wearing party hats (a green one for Y2K and a gold one for the company's golden anniversary), fuzzy ear muffs, football helmets and batting helmets.

Since Jack was reintroduced in 1995, 27 different toys and three different holiday-tree ornaments have been produced in his likeness, including several depicting Jack's zest for extreme-sport adventure. More than 4 million of these toys and ornaments have been handed out to guests.

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