Popsicles are good no matter what time of the year it is. On hot summer days there are few things that can cool someone off better than an ice-cold popsicle. Not only are popsicles a treat that helps you cool off, but they are also delicious and come in a variety of flavors and textures. It would be safe to say that there is a popsicle for just about every taste. But where did the popsicle come from? When did it first show up? Did someone invent the popsicle and if so who was it? We may have the answer.
Frozen deserts have been around for a long time. In fact, the ancient Romans would send slaves up into the mountains to retrieve blocks of ice. These blocks of ice were then crushed and served with syrup and fruit as an icy desert. But that’s not quite the popsicle we know and love.
The popsicle we know today is said to have been invented by Frank Epperson. Frank was just a boy in 1905 in Oakland, California, when one night he accidentally left a glass – filled with water, powdered soda mix and a wooden stick for stirring – outside overnight. in the morning, the soda mixture was frozen solid, so Frank ran the glass under hot water and removed the ice pop using the stick as a handle.
Quite by accident the young boy had invented the popsicle. Soon he was making the pops for his friends, and when he became an adult he made them for his own children.
In 1923, Epperson filed for a patent for his invention. Up until then, he had been calling the frozen treats “Eppsicles,” but his children insisted on calling them “Pop’s ‘sicles.” The latter name stuck, and the Popsicle was born.
Thanks to the carelessness of one young boy an icy treat known throughout the world was invented. Today we enjoy popsicles in a variety of flavors textures and styles.
