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In addition to being important for food consumption, evidence exists popcorn was made for ritual reasons. A 1,700-year-old painted funeral urn found in Mexico depicts a corn god shown wearing a headdress made of popcorn. Popcorn was so widely used by native cultures in Mexico and other parts of the New World that Europeans first encountered it in their initial encounters with indigenous peoples in the West Indies and in Mexico. Both Cortes and Columbus encountered popcorn in their early encounters with native populations, where people ate and wore popcorn as part of headdresses, similar to how the corn god and other gods were at times shown (Figure 1). One story exists that popcorn was served in the first Thanksgiving, where early colonists learned about popcorn with the natives they shared a meal with. Popcorn was not only consumed by itself but it was often used in a type of soup and even made into a type of beer.<ref>For more on the variety of uses for popcorn in its early history, see: Podojil, J. (2013). <i>Popcorn Favorites: Everything you want to know about Popcorn and More.</i> Bloomington, IN: Trafford On Demand Pub., pg. 16.</ref>

==Developed Popularity==

The key innovation that expanded popcorn's popularity was the invention of the popcorn maker, created by Charles Cretors in the 1880s (Figure 2). In fact, the basic design of early popcorn machines has been retained in later developments used for public outings and events. The machine Cretors founded enabled him to establish a company that still exists, where it specializes in popcorn machines and other concession foods. Cretors machine used steam to do the roasting, and it was suitable for roasting peanuts as well as making popcorn. The key innovation was the machine automated the process of popping the kernels and seasoning the popcorn, making the process uniform and thus ensuring that almost all the kernels came out the same. This facilitated the process of making popcorn from a more manual effort, where many kernels would not often pop or get equal heat, to one where a lot of popcorn could be made easily. <ref>For more on Cretors' early machine, see: Fussell, B. H. (2004). <i>The Story of Corn.</i> University of New Mexico Press pbk. ed. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, pg. 12.</ref>

The presence of Cretors' machines in festivals and fairs soon began to associate popcorn with these events, which popcorn is still associated with today. By 1900s, Cretors' popcorn machines began to use electricity rather than steam. This early use of electricity insured that the company and the brand was well positioned for the increased electrification that occurred for household and larger consumer suppliers during the first few decades of the 20th century. Such developments now also made popcorn machines become more typical household items. Interestingly, the Great Depression had little effect for popcorn makers. During this time, popcorn was so cheap to make that it became a common food for consumption, enabling many suppliers to thrive in very difficult economic circumstances. It also meant that popcorn became more popular, as the low prices helped to spread its consumption outside of just carnivals or fairs but to also more daily consumption. One such business was the Redenbacher family, where the family was able to support itself during difficult economic circumstances by selling popcorn. This family today is still associated with a popular popcorn brand.<ref>For more on the development of popcorn machines and growing popularity, see: Nielsen, L. M. (2007). <i>The Biography of Corn.</i> New York, NY: Crabtree Pub. Co., pg. 23.</ref>

Interestingly, it was also during the Depression in the 1930s that popcorn became associated with eating during watching a film. Theaters began to experiment by putting popcorn machines in the lobby and selling it to moviegoers. This proved so immensely successful that it began to spread to other theaters rapidly across the US. In fact, many theater owners thought it would be distracting to sell popcorn, as it can be noisy to eat, but the success of popcorn sales soon changed their minds. During World War II, sugar rationing meant that candy was not as widely available. With decreasing candy consumption in theaters and other venues, this opened the way for popcorn now to become the number one movie snack as well as the most popular snack in venues such as fairs. These changing tastes solidified popcorn's place in snakes.<ref>For more on how popcorn culture changed and transformed US consumers, see: Giedt 2013 </ref>

==Summary==

Popcorn has become one of the best known snack foods. Its history, however, has shown that it has been associated with many things. These associations include its use in religious ceremonies, consumption as a breakfast food, use in soup, and even made into a type of beer. The modern popularity of popcorn was sparked by a few key events. The first was the development of an automated popcorn maker in the 1880s. The second was that it was cheap, making it popular during difficult economic circumstances. Finally, its association with events, such as watching movies and, initially, carnivals, fairs, and outdoor events solidified its position as a leading snack. The introduction of household appliances that make popcorn also helped to spread its use beyond public events. Today's popcorn comes in many varieties and is made using many different methods, ranging from roasting on the stove, to air popping machines, and microwave popcorn being among the most common.

==References==