Who discovered POP CORN?

Answer 1

The first guy who tripped carrying a piece of corn and it landed in the fire and started popping. Probably a long time ago.

Answer 2

Popcorn or Popping Corn is a type of corn which explodes from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Special varieties are grown to give improved popping yield. Some wild types will pop, but the cultivated strain is Zea mays subsp. mays, which is a special kind of flint corn. Popcorn was first formally discovered by Native Americans thousands of years ago


In 1948, ears and kernels of an early corn variety capable of being popped were found in an archaeological dig in a New Mexico rock shelter known as "Bat Cave".[2] These finds are widely reported as being the oldest ears of popcorn ever found; such reports often say they are dated to be 4000–5000 years old, or more. The actual facts about the Bat Cave corn are less clear. While initial reports dated the corn to be 4000–5000 years old, in 1967 the same researchers revealed data from more specifically targeted dating: a sample consisting only of cobs was dated to be 1,752 years old, and a sample of cobs and nearby wood 2,249 years.[3] These dates have been called into question as well: Michael S. Berry, after a study of the Bat Cave procedures, wrote it "was a poorly excavated site that can be interpreted nearly any way one pleases by juggling the data."[3]

Popcorn was very popular in the 1890s, until the Great Depression. As corn crops became more depleted during the Great Depression, nuts were used instead of corn. During the Depression, popcorn was a luxury at 5-10 cents a bag. When some of the other businesses failed, the popcorn business thrived. An example is "an Oklahoma banker who went broke when his bank failed bought a popcorn machine and started a business in a small store near a theater. After a couple of years, his popcorn business made enough money to buy back three of the farms he'd lost."[4] In the time of World War II, Americans ate three times more popcorn than they had before because of the sugar that was going over seas.

At least five localities (all in the United States of America) claim to be the "Popcorn Capital of the World": Valparaiso, Indiana; Van Buren, Indiana; Marion, Ohio; Ridgway, Illinois; Schaller, Iowa; and North Loup, Nebraska. According to the USDA, most of the maize used for popcorn production is specifically planted for this purpose; most is grown in Nebraska and Indiana with increasing area in Texas.[5]

As the result of an elementary school project, popcorn became the official state snack food of Illinois.

Answer 3

Some old fella everyone called Pop had tons and tons of kids. He had trouble feeding them all so he decided to make them some corn soup. He put the corn in the kettle on the fire and yelled for the kids to bring water. Before they could get there, a strange sound started coming from the kettle. White corn started flying through the air!!! The kids started grabbing it. wow , it smelled so good. They tasted it. They cried "We like Popscorn better than anyone elses". And the rest as they say, is history.


or the Indians.... (smile)

Answer 4

Way back when, someone was apparently munching some popcorn in a cave in what is now New Mexico. They didn't finish their snack and some 5,600 years later, what might be the world's oldest popcorn was discovered.

But while 5,600 years is old indeed, it can't begin to compare to the oldest corn pollen ever found. After digging for long forgotten goodies some 200 feet below Mexico City, archaeologists unearthed fossilized corn pollen dating back some 80,000 years. Apparently the ancient corn pollen looked almost exactly like modern corn pollen.

1000 Years Fresh?

And a single kernel of popped popcorn believed to be around 1,000 years old was discovered in a cave in Utah. Did you know that popped popcorn can still look fresh after a very long period of time... But it would probably taste stale, right?



http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/12-7-2005-83445.asp

Answer 5

Native Americans

Answer 6

I suspect that either Creamed Corn or Whole Kernel Corn discovered Pop Corn, since they are related.
When Maize met Fire, Pop Corn was produced.

Answer 7

Biblical accounts of "corn" stored in the pyramids of Egypt are misunderstood. The "corn" from the bible was probably barley. The mistake comes from a changed use of the word "corn," which used to signify the most-used grain of a specific place. In England, "corn" was wheat, and in Scotland and Ireland the word referred to oats. Since maize was the common American "corn," it took that name -- and keeps it today.
It is believed that the first use of wild and early cultivated corn was popping.
The oldest ears of popcorn ever found were discovered in the Bat Cave of west central New Mexico in 1948 and 1950. Ranging from smaller than a penny to about 2 inches, the oldest Bat Cave ears are about 4,000 years old.
Popcorn was integral to early 16th century Aztec Indian ceremonies. Bernardino de Sahagun writes: "And also a number of young women danced, having so vowed, a popcorn dance. As thick as tassels of maize were their popcorn garlands. And these they placed upon (the girls') heads."
In 1519, Cortes got his first sight of popcorn when he invaded Mexico and came into contact with the Aztecs. Popcorn was an important food for the Aztec Indians, who also used popcorn as decoration for ceremonial headdresses, necklaces and ornaments on statues of their gods, including Tlaloc, the god of rain and fertility.
An early Spanish account of a ceremony honoring the Aztec gods who watched over fishermen reads: "They scattered before him parched corn, called momochitl, a kind of corn which bursts when parched and discloses its contents and makes itself look like a very white flower; they said these were hailstones given to the god of water."
Writing of Peruvian Indians in 1650, the Spaniard Cobo says, "They toast a certain kind of corn until it bursts. They call it pisancalla, and they use it as a confection."
The use of the moldboard plow became commonplace in the mid-1800s and led to the widespread planting of maize in the United States.

Answer 8

Indians

Answer 9

Some farmer with a barnful of dried corn that caught fire...imagine what was popping out those loft doors, maybe it even blew the roof off. LOL

Answer 10

The Indians