EPISODE · Jun 3, 2024 · 41 MIN
Popcorn
from Stuff You Missed in History Class · host iHeartPodcasts
A lot of the stories that are told about popcorn in history – particularly in North America – are incorrect. Popcorn has been around for a very long time, though its rise to popularity as a snack has accelerated in recent years. Research: “Ancient Popcorn Discovered in Peru.” Smithsonian. Jan, 20, 2012. https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/ancient-popcorn-discovered-peru com Editors “Orville Redenbacher.” Biography.com. April 2, 2014. https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/orville-redenbacher Butler, Stephanie. “ A History of Popcorn.” History.com. Dec. 6, 2013. https://www.history.com/news/a-history-of-popcorn Delgado, Michelle. “The History of Popcorn: How One Grain Became a Staple Snack.” Serious Eats. May 7, 2023. https://www.seriouseats.com/popcorn-history-movie-theaters Dell’Amore, Christine. “Ancient Popcorn Found—Made 2,000 Years Earlier Than Thought in Peru.” National Geographic. Jan. 21, 2012. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/120119-national-popcorn-day-corn-peru-archaeology-food-science Geiling, Natasha. “Why do we eat popcorn at the movies?” Smithsonian. October 3, 2013. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-do-we-eat-popcorn-at-the-movies-475063/ Goodspeed, T. H. “Plant Hunters in the Andes.” University of California Press. 1961. https://archive.org/details/planthuntersinan0000good Grobman, Alexander, et al. “Preceramic maize from Paredones and Huaca Prieta, Peru.” January 17, 2011. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1120270109 Meyers, F.J. “IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-POPPERS.” Patent No. 171,032. Dec. 14, 1875. https://patents.google.com/patent/US171032A/en?q=(pop-corn)&q=(corn-popping)&sort=old “MICROWAVE KEY TO POPCORN WAR.” New York Times. June 22, 1987. https://www.nytimes.com/1987/06/22/business/microwave-key-to-popcorn-war.html Mola, Roger A. “Then and Now: Pass the Popcorn.” Smithsonian. March 2008. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/then-amp-now-pass-the-popcorn-13027292/ “PopCorn: Ingrained in American’s Cultural History.” USDA National Agricultural Library. https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/exhibits/show/popcorn/early-history The Popcorn Board. “All About Popcorn.” https://www.popcorn.org/All-About-Popcorn/History-of-Popcorn “Popcorn Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (RTE, Microwave), By Distribution Channel (B2B, B2C), By Region (Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, MEA), And Segment Forecasts, 2022 – 2030.” Grandview Research. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/popcorn-market-report Smith, Andrew F. “Popped Culture: A Social History of Popcorn in America.” University of South Carolina Press. 1999. “Sugar: The First and Last Food Rationed on the World War II Home Front.” National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/sugar-the-first-and-last-food-rationed-on-the-world-war-ii-home-front.htm See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What this episode covers
A lot of the stories that are told about popcorn in history – particularly in North America – are incorrect. Popcorn has been around for a very long time, though its rise to popularity as a snack has accelerated in recent years.
NOW PLAYING
Popcorn
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 19, 2026 ·34m
Feb 18, 2026 ·11m
Feb 11, 2026 ·45m
Nov 12, 2025 ·35m
Oct 17, 2025 ·40m