McDonald's Is Giving Away Free Egg McMuffins

The Egg McMuffin is iconic to McDonald's breakfast menu, and on Monday, March 2, you can get one for free. That's right, a freshly cracked egg on a toasted English muffin topped with real butter, Canadian bacon and melted American cheese is yours for $0.

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So, how does this work? Nearly 50 years after the breakfast item's debut on menus, McDonald's has officially declared March 2 as National Egg McMuffin Day, and fans who download the chain's mobile app can redeem one between the hours of 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. local time. That's it. No catch.

Mickey D's Egg McMuffin has undoubtedly gained a cult following since Herb Peterson invented it in 1971. The owner-operator of a location in Santa Barbara, California, was attempting to make eggs Benedict but landed on this instead. Herb is also credited with inventing the non-stick rings used to give the eggs their round shape. If you think that's cool, get a load of these origin stories.