Popcorn itself has been around for a very long time.   Americans eat more than 16 quarts of popcorn every year but popcorn has been around long before America as we know it today was even a concept.  One of the first written accounts of popcorn is by Hernan Cortes when he saw the Aztecs eating it.  It was a brand new item at the time because corn did not exist in Europe.  But it was not until the late 1800s that popcorn really became popular and that was due to the invention of the popcorn maker.

The very first machine expressly for making popcorn with hot air was created by Charles Cretors in Chicago.  He came up with the idea, obtained a special peddler’s license to sell popcorn on the streets, and sold tons of it.  Pretty soon people copied his idea and popcorn machine vendors sprung up all over the place.  The popcorn makers were than moves to fairs, parks, expos, and of course movie theaters.

During the second world war when sugar was being rationed popcorn became even more popular.  Eating popcorn became a duty to one’s country or was promoted that way.  After the war it remained a popular snack embedding its way into our way of life.

It was ingenious how this machine actually works.  The device uses oil heated by a small steam engine inside to pop the kernels.  What most people do not know is that there is a little bit of moisture in each kernel.  When the moisture, or water, becomes hot it expands and bursts the kernel open.  This machine was the preferred way of popping popcorn until the microwave came into the marketplace is the late 70s/ early 80s.  With this machine popcorn became even more accessible though the taste is not nearly as good.

The associatation with popcorn makers and theaters cannot be overexagerated.  That positive feeling from being in your seat and taking a handful of buttered popcorn is complete euphoria.