Popcorn Machine History
It’s no doubt that popcorn is one of the world’s favorite snacks. But many people may not know that an enjoyable popcorn snack is hardly something new, the Indians and other cultures have been popping popcorn for thousands of years, and the methods for popping popcorn has grown as well. history may only date back about a hundred years, but popcorn has been a popular snack for much longer than that. So, if you’re interested in some quick history, here are some great points of interest to help you better appreciate one of America’s favorite snacks.
Popcorn Machine History – Ancient Times
Popcorn machine history sites say that before popcorn machines were invented, popcorn was still cooked in a variety of different ways. One of the ancient ways to pop popcorn was to heat sand in a fire and then to stir in the kernels when the sand was fully heated. Some ancient popcorn poppers have been found in excavation sites, made of soapstone, pottery and even metal. This well known bit of history states that these kinds of popcorn machines would have been placed directly into the fire, and could be used with or without oil. Explorers in the 18th century and even in1612 report tribes and countries popping popcorn on ancient popcorn poppers.
Popcorn Machine History – The First Mobile Popcorn Machine
Charles Cretors, founder of C. Cretors and Company in Chicago introduced the first mobile at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1983. These popcorn machines weighed in at around five hundred pounds, and could be pulled around from place to place or pulled by a small pony. No longer depending on a single store location to sell their wares, these popcorn street venors followed the crowds around from place to place, such as at fairs, parks and other major events. After the great depression, popcorn became even more popular, and it actually also became more of a luxury.
Popcorn Machine History – Where are we now?
Perhaps we can thank Percy Spencer for the popcorn machines that we have now. Spencer made a great advancement in history when he discovered how to mass produce magnetrons, which were being used at the time to generate microwaves in World War II. The was essential to this discovery. During the 1950’s, popcorn consumption had hit a slump when televisions were gaining popularity and attendance at movie theaters had dropped. The invention of the home reinvigorated the popcorn consumption and popcorn took on a whole new love and popularity with our culture. Microwave popcorn first started in the 1940’s, and now accounts for over $240 million of popcorn sales each year in the United States alone.
Popcorn is surely one of the most popular and tasty snacks in the United States, and across the globe. Advancements in history and popping methods have only made popcorn more popular as time goes on.
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