1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, A production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly 3 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,079 Speaker 1: Frye and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. Tracy, did you know 4 00:00:17,079 --> 00:00:19,600 Speaker 1: that I'm kind of obsessed with popcorn? No? I did 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: not know this. I love popcorn. I love it too, 6 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: like I love love it. We talked about it behind 7 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:29,520 Speaker 1: the scenes. Yeah, let's do I you know, late lately, 8 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: on and off the last couple of years, I've been 9 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:34,279 Speaker 1: looking at whether or not I should buy a glazing 10 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: machine to do like, oh fancy one theme park style 11 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 1: popcorn fun. I always back off of it and in 12 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:44,880 Speaker 1: a moment of like, you don't need that. Part of 13 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: it is because there's only one person in my house 14 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,879 Speaker 1: that eats popcorn. But the bottom line is that this 15 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: and a couple other things have made me think about 16 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: like popcorn. And we'll talk about it in the course 17 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:58,600 Speaker 1: of the episode. But a lot of like what we 18 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:03,279 Speaker 1: know about popcorn words, early phases, or what gets repeated, 19 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 1: a lot is flat out false, right, so, at least 20 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: in modern culture. So I thought it would be fun 21 00:01:09,240 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 1: to pick apart popcorn through the ages, because it goes 22 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 1: back very far but was not necessarily as prevalent in 23 00:01:16,600 --> 00:01:20,040 Speaker 1: place as we have been told it was. And then 24 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: we'll talk about how it has become a huge industry. Yeah. 25 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: I had not thought about the economics of why it 26 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: is such a profit industry, but now I have, so 27 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:34,319 Speaker 1: we'll talk about all of that today. Yeah. So the 28 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,960 Speaker 1: use of the word corn in historical contexts, at least 29 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: some of the time, it can be a little deceiving 30 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 1: because corn is a word that has historically been used 31 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: more generally to describe all kinds of grain crops. So 32 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: today corn, I want to say the big lump with knobs, 33 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: but that's from so long ago on the Internet, it's 34 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: already a very dated reference, just the thing you know 35 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 1: with ears. But corn in translation of the Bible, as 36 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: having been in Egypt, that was probably barley. Similarly, in Britain, 37 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,280 Speaker 1: the word corn has been used to refer to crops 38 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: that could include both wheat and oats. So if you're 39 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:23,200 Speaker 1: reading really old historical documents and there's a reference to corn, 40 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 1: it might not mean the relative of grass specifically that 41 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 1: we call corn today. Yes, because corn is grass. Corn 42 00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:38,880 Speaker 1: is grass. As for another reference that cuts a little deep, 43 00:02:38,919 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 1: but it's fine. I feel like many of our listeners 44 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:43,839 Speaker 1: will get it. The corn that we think of today 45 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:47,160 Speaker 1: using that word is a native plant species to the 46 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 1: Americas that, as Tracy said, related to grass and popping 47 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:54,799 Speaker 1: corn is a specific type of maize, which is different 48 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: from the corn you would eat, of course, as corn 49 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: on the cob or in corn dishes where you eat 50 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:03,320 Speaker 1: the intact popping corn has a husk that is four 51 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:08,000 Speaker 1: times thicker than those other varieties, and popcorn predates the 52 00:03:08,040 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: other corn types, although they are all the same species, 53 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: so you could have flour corn, podcorn, sweetcorn, dent corn, 54 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 1: and flint corn. They're all very close genetic matches to popcorn, 55 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:24,639 Speaker 1: but slightly different that were developed over time as crops 56 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:28,080 Speaker 1: for their edibility, and according to Andrew Smith in his 57 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety nine book Popped Culture quote, by the time 58 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: Europeans encountered the New World in the late fifteenth century, 59 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 1: maze was already a domesticated plant that did not grow 60 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: in the wild. Without human cultivation, maze did not survive yees. So, 61 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 1: just to recap maze one of the many many plants 62 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: native to the Americas cultivated by indigenous people now enjoyed 63 00:03:54,800 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: world worldwide. Yes, the science of how corn pops really 64 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: pretty simple. That thick wall of the kernel encases a 65 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: little pocket of starch and moisture, and when the corn 66 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: is heated up, that moisture inside causes the starch to liquefy. 67 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:16,400 Speaker 1: Just as boiling water expands, so does that liquefied starch, 68 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:19,479 Speaker 1: and it gets that builds up enough pressure to break 69 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: that outer shell, rapidly expanding and re solidifying into the 70 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 1: fluffy white popcorn that we're familiar with today. When popcorn 71 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:32,919 Speaker 1: is grown, every step of the process is designed to 72 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:37,039 Speaker 1: ensure that you get that fluffy, popped finish. It is 73 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:40,719 Speaker 1: cured on the stalk and then dried until it reaches 74 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:45,799 Speaker 1: fourteen percent moisture for a long time. The oldest example 75 00:04:45,880 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: of popcorn ever found was estimated to be four thousand 76 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 1: years old. And these are small ears that were found 77 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: in the bat cave of Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico 78 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:58,840 Speaker 1: in the late nineteen forties and early nineteen fifties. And 79 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:01,960 Speaker 1: we say these are small ears, we're talking about two 80 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:05,279 Speaker 1: inches long as the largest of the collected specimens. The 81 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:08,640 Speaker 1: smallest was reported as smaller than a penny, even today, 82 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,599 Speaker 1: if you grow popcorn, those ears are smaller than the 83 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,359 Speaker 1: other kinds of corn we've talked about, but not quite 84 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 1: this tiny, So in any case, very dissimilar from the 85 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:21,120 Speaker 1: ears of corn that you might see today. But then 86 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:25,400 Speaker 1: in twenty ten, far older samples of popcorn were found 87 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: in Peru, and these were dated to six thy seven 88 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 1: hundred years ago, and they're really interesting because in that 89 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: case the popcorn appears to have been popped while still 90 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:40,480 Speaker 1: on the cob, not from separated kernels. Delores Piperno, who 91 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: at the time was Curator of New World Archaeology at 92 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,720 Speaker 1: the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, d C. 93 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:51,840 Speaker 1: Co authored a paper on these samples that was published 94 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 1: in twenty twelve. It was titled pre Ceramic Maize from 95 00:05:56,080 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 1: Paradonis and Juacapria to Peru. One in interesting conclusion in 96 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:05,520 Speaker 1: this paper was the statement quote, given the scarcity and 97 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:11,719 Speaker 1: discontinuous stratigraphic presence of maize macro fossils and microfossils at 98 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:15,840 Speaker 1: Paradonis and Juaca Prieta and at other pre ceramic sites 99 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: in the region, we infer that this crop, both its 100 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:23,679 Speaker 1: popcorn and flowery forms, was not a primary food staple 101 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: in the local diet before about forty five hundred to 102 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,480 Speaker 1: forty two hundred CALBP. So, just in case folks aren't 103 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:35,240 Speaker 1: familiar with that terminology, BP is before the present and 104 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: calb P is calibrated before the present. Yeah, that's a 105 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:45,039 Speaker 1: type of year dating that you'll see used in a 106 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:49,479 Speaker 1: lot of archaeological papers. But although popcorn wasn't, according to 107 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: that paper, a particularly major part of the agriculture of Peru, 108 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: it is now believed that popcorn was being actively cultivated 109 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:00,360 Speaker 1: by people of the Americas in other places as far 110 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:04,159 Speaker 1: back as nine thousand years ago. Paperno gave a statement 111 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:07,080 Speaker 1: in the press when this whole article was published and 112 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: became very popular for a minute, that it was cultivated 113 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,400 Speaker 1: from a wild grass known as tiacinde. People that couldn't 114 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 1: grow it likely traded for it. This earlier version of 115 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 1: popcorn was also likely closer to what's called parched corn today, 116 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 1: so in some cases it wasn't popping exactly, but it 117 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 1: was being used in a way that it was dry heated, 118 00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 1: so it would puff up slightly and become like a 119 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: crunchy thing. The Aztec culture is often invoked in popcorn 120 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:39,200 Speaker 1: discussion and for good reason. Popcorn was used as food 121 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 1: and also as part of ceremonial practices. When conquistador Hernan 122 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 1: Cortes first came in contact with the Aztecs, which as 123 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: we know, would ultimately lead to the culture's destruction, he 124 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:56,360 Speaker 1: became the first European to see popcorn and noted its 125 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 1: use for eating, as well as being strung on garlands 126 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: that were used as jewelry and headdresses and as decoration. 127 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: The automatopoetic word used by the Aztecs to represent the 128 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 1: sound of the corn popping was totapoka. Popcorn was also 129 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:17,240 Speaker 1: closely associated with the Aztec ring god Toscato. A Franciscan 130 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:20,760 Speaker 1: friar named Bernardino de Sahagun, who traveled to the Americas 131 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:23,360 Speaker 1: in the fifteen twenties to convert the indigenous people there, 132 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:27,960 Speaker 1: wrote of popcorn quote, they scattered parched corn called momahito, 133 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,240 Speaker 1: a kind of corn which bursts when parched and discloses 134 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 1: its contents and makes itself look like a very white flower. 135 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:38,160 Speaker 1: They said these were hailstones given to the god of water. 136 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 1: Now that's an interesting quote because some translations of Sahagun's 137 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 1: words in this passage omit that whole reference to the 138 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:47,880 Speaker 1: god of water, so it's not sure if a translator 139 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:52,360 Speaker 1: added it later. Some translations described the corn grains instead 140 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: as simply being like scattered dice, and there's no mention 141 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 1: of a deity. Sahagoon made the effort to learn and 142 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:01,680 Speaker 1: understand the Nahua language that he encountered, and to work 143 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 1: with members of the Aztec culture and gathering information for 144 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: his book General History of the Things of New Spain. 145 00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: Jesuit missionary Bernabe Cobo, who visited Peru in the early 146 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:17,440 Speaker 1: sixteen hundreds, also wrote of the practice of eating popcorn there. Quote, 147 00:09:17,720 --> 00:09:20,600 Speaker 1: they toast a certain kind of corn until it bursts. 148 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:25,439 Speaker 1: That corn, which was used in confection, was called pisancaia. 149 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:30,319 Speaker 1: The Spanish naturalist Felipe de Azara described a grain he 150 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 1: encountered in the Americas in the late seventeen hundreds this way. 151 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:37,040 Speaker 1: Quote it is boiled in fat or oil, the grains 152 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 1: burst without becoming detached, and their results of superb bouquet, 153 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:43,840 Speaker 1: fit to adorn a lady's hair at night without anyone 154 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:47,040 Speaker 1: knowing what it was. I have often eaten these burst 155 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:50,680 Speaker 1: grains and found them very good. So that's obviously an 156 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:54,120 Speaker 1: example of them being popped on the cob. One of 157 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:57,000 Speaker 1: the reasons that popcorn became a staple in so many 158 00:09:57,040 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 1: American cultures over time is its longevity. Unpopped kernels or 159 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:05,120 Speaker 1: dried cobs of them keep for a very very long time, 160 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:09,360 Speaker 1: so they can travel and store really easily. As evidence 161 00:10:09,400 --> 00:10:13,280 Speaker 1: of that longevity, botanist Thomas Harper good Speed, founder of 162 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:16,560 Speaker 1: the Botanical Gardens at University of California, was given a 163 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: gift by a colleague from Chile in the late nineteen thirties. 164 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: It was pre Inca popcorn, and good Speed's curiosity about 165 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: them eventually got the better of him, and he tried 166 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 1: popping them. In nineteen forty one, he published a book 167 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: titled Plant Hunters in the Andes, and he shared the results, 168 00:10:34,280 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: writing quote, one evening at home in Berkeley, it occurred 169 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 1: to me to try an experiment with my kernels of 170 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:43,280 Speaker 1: pre inca popcorn. I placed a few on a pie 171 00:10:43,320 --> 00:10:46,800 Speaker 1: tin and heated them on the electric stove. Much to 172 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 1: my surprise, that corn, which had been gathered nearly a 173 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 1: thousand years ago, popped as readily as did last year's 174 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:55,319 Speaker 1: crop that had come in a box from the shelves 175 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: of the neighborhood cash and carry store. I'm curious how 176 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:02,600 Speaker 1: he knew that it was pre inca popcorn, right, he's 177 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 1: taking that that person's word for it is yeah, okay, okay, 178 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: that's I had questions. And of course these travelers from 179 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 1: Europe brought maize back home with them. Spain and Italy 180 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:20,240 Speaker 1: were the first places it was introduced, and then it 181 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:22,679 Speaker 1: made its way to Turkey. But for a long time 182 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 1: it was used to feed animals and not humans. There 183 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:29,240 Speaker 1: were very few instances of anyone in Europe trying to 184 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:33,079 Speaker 1: pop it. When it got to Asia, also through Spanish colonists, 185 00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: it was adopted more readily as a food for people, 186 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: including in its popped form. Yeah. I saw one mention 187 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:42,640 Speaker 1: of like this one place in Romania that there may 188 00:11:42,679 --> 00:11:45,000 Speaker 1: be evidence that it had been popped at one point. 189 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:50,960 Speaker 1: And of course, obviously people eventually did adopt maize and 190 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:53,640 Speaker 1: maize products into their stuff. That's why we have things 191 00:11:53,679 --> 00:11:58,000 Speaker 1: like polenta, but not really into it initially. While you 192 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:01,240 Speaker 1: have probably heard that popcorn was served at the first 193 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving in Plymouth Colony as belooney, there is no evidence 194 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:07,840 Speaker 1: to support that claim. There's a lot about the first 195 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:14,560 Speaker 1: thanksgiving story that there are, and specifically the idea of 196 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 1: indigenous people giving colonists popcorn comes up in so much 197 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 1: literature that book I mentioned just a moment ago. It 198 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,560 Speaker 1: goes through like this long list from like everyone from 199 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:32,360 Speaker 1: like Jane Adams writing about it to I think Thau 200 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,120 Speaker 1: at one point, like all of these people that perpetuated 201 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:37,720 Speaker 1: this myth and made it part of that like kind 202 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:43,000 Speaker 1: of fuzzy, more lovable story of how those encounters worked. 203 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:50,400 Speaker 1: And it's like there's there's literally nothing to support, but 204 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:54,840 Speaker 1: there was some mention of popcorn from colonists in the 205 00:12:54,840 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 1: mid sixteen hundreds. John Winthrop Junior made a report to 206 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:01,679 Speaker 1: the Royal Society of London in sixteen sixty two that 207 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 1: included popping corn in his description of the ways that 208 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 1: Native Americans used maize, noting that they seemed to turn 209 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:12,640 Speaker 1: inside out and become flower like, but he also described 210 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:15,440 Speaker 1: the resulting puffs not being eaten as they were the 211 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: way we think of popcorn, but being ground after that 212 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:22,320 Speaker 1: or beaten into a meal. One hundred years later, Ben 213 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,720 Speaker 1: Franklin described a similar process, with the popping being done 214 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:28,320 Speaker 1: in a large iron pot with sand and then the 215 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:31,640 Speaker 1: sand being sifted off before the pounding into the meal step. 216 00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 1: But popcorn among the indigenous people of the East coast 217 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: of North America doesn't really appear to have been a 218 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:42,200 Speaker 1: very big thing. It was more work to grow and 219 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:44,800 Speaker 1: harder to use than other forms of maize, so it 220 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: kind of seems like it really didn't get a lot 221 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:50,560 Speaker 1: of favor. Coming up, we'll talk about reasons. It's tricky 222 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:53,440 Speaker 1: to figure out exactly how popcorn got a start in 223 00:13:53,559 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 1: the United States as a nation different from the Americas 224 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:02,480 Speaker 1: as a region. We'll take a quick sponsor break before 225 00:14:02,559 --> 00:14:15,559 Speaker 1: we get to that. Because popcorn is inexpensive and as 226 00:14:15,559 --> 00:14:19,080 Speaker 1: we've said, long lasting, it became somewhat of a novelty 227 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:21,640 Speaker 1: to a lot of folks in the early United States 228 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:24,480 Speaker 1: once it had formed as a country, although there isn't 229 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 1: actually a mention of actual popcorn in writing until the 230 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 1: eighteen thirties, when it was mentioned in a periodical called Cultivator, 231 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: which was geared towards farmers. According to Andrew Smith in 232 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 1: pop Culture, it's possible that in terms of European descendant 233 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,600 Speaker 1: inhabitants of the US and the eighteen hundreds, the practice 234 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:46,560 Speaker 1: of popping corn might have even come from Africa. As 235 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: maze made its way across Europe in the fifteen hundreds, 236 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 1: it also moved south into Africa, but this is purely 237 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 1: a theory. The way maze spread, which was in some 238 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:59,000 Speaker 1: cases tied to the slave trade, makes it actually pretty 239 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,240 Speaker 1: hard to know who actually had it and who brought 240 00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:05,280 Speaker 1: the concept of popcorn into the culture of the US. 241 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 1: And of course there was popcorn in South America well 242 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: before any of this, so it may have just moved north. 243 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:15,080 Speaker 1: But there's no real chain of evidence to clearly identify 244 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 1: how white men started popping popcorn rather than parching and 245 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:23,440 Speaker 1: grinding it. The ways people popped popcorn in its early 246 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:27,480 Speaker 1: adoption in the United States could vary a lot. Some 247 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: sound kind of arduous. There was a way similar to 248 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:33,880 Speaker 1: how it would be done today by a lot of 249 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:38,080 Speaker 1: folks using fat or oil in a kettle. Another method 250 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: was to toss kernels of popping corn into the hot 251 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,360 Speaker 1: ashes from a fire and then all that give that 252 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: kind of a stir to get the kernels to pop pop. 253 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: That meant that you had to get the popped kernels 254 00:15:53,800 --> 00:15:56,600 Speaker 1: out from the ash to eat it. And I'm just 255 00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 1: not seeing how you don't wind up with a mouthful 256 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:03,360 Speaker 1: of ash. Yeah, that's a hard pass for me. Another 257 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:06,520 Speaker 1: approach was a wire box method, where kernels could be 258 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:09,640 Speaker 1: placed in a wire container that was held over a fire, 259 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:13,160 Speaker 1: though it may have taken a while to catch on. 260 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:16,760 Speaker 1: Once popcorn was introduced to the US in its fluffy form, 261 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 1: it kind of became a fad. Just a decade after 262 00:16:20,640 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 1: that reference and cultivator, the word popcorn appeared in Bartlett's 263 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: Dictionary of Americanism, so over a ten year period it 264 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:32,600 Speaker 1: had gotten really really popular. Soon holidays celebrated in the 265 00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:36,520 Speaker 1: US started to have popcorn associated with them, and kind 266 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:39,520 Speaker 1: of all holidays, right, like we sometimes think of popcorn 267 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 1: garlands for Christmas. I don't think a lot of people 268 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 1: do that, but some still do, or like popcorn balls 269 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,359 Speaker 1: at Halloween. But it also became part of Easter traditions, 270 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 1: just popcorn, not in its candied forms Halloween traditions, and 271 00:16:51,560 --> 00:16:54,400 Speaker 1: this eventually led to the development of the popcorn ball 272 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 1: that I just mentioned. So a mass of popcorn held 273 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:01,640 Speaker 1: together by a sugarcoating not only eaten as a treat, 274 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:04,160 Speaker 1: but they were also used as decor. In some cases, 275 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:06,720 Speaker 1: you could even buy molds and gadgets that would help 276 00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 1: shape candy coated popcorn into decorative shapes, so you could 277 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 1: make a little ornament by this. By the eighteen sixties, 278 00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:18,639 Speaker 1: popcorn recipes started appearing in cookbooks. They often included ways 279 00:17:18,680 --> 00:17:21,320 Speaker 1: to make sweet treats or desserts with it. It wasn't 280 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:24,920 Speaker 1: so much savory stuff going on at that point. When 281 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:28,320 Speaker 1: the steel plow was invented in the mid eighteen hundreds, 282 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:31,800 Speaker 1: that made growing popcorn even easier, and the crop became 283 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:36,160 Speaker 1: even more popular. Became easier to cut the stalks which 284 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:39,160 Speaker 1: were really starty. This is what led to the development 285 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:42,480 Speaker 1: of the corn belts. It was during the latter half 286 00:17:42,520 --> 00:17:46,280 Speaker 1: of the eighteen hundreds that popcorn was also adopted by 287 00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:51,520 Speaker 1: healthy living advocates. Dietitian Ella Kellogg, the wife of John 288 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:55,639 Speaker 1: Harvey Kellogg, used popcorn as a breakfast cereal, eating it 289 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,119 Speaker 1: with milk. She thought popcorn should be incorporated as a 290 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:02,679 Speaker 1: dish at just about any meal. At that point, popcorn 291 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:05,960 Speaker 1: was readily available in just about every grocery, and it 292 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:09,600 Speaker 1: was also routinely sold as a treat at sporting events 293 00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:15,440 Speaker 1: and circuses. In eighteen seventy five, Frederick J. Myers of Govington, Kentucky, 294 00:18:15,760 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: filed a patent for a corn popper that enabled the 295 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:21,560 Speaker 1: user to keep from burning their hand the handle of 296 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:25,320 Speaker 1: the device stayed cool to the touch. His improvement in 297 00:18:25,440 --> 00:18:28,879 Speaker 1: corn poppers didn't involve any kind of revolutionary materials or 298 00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 1: thermodynamic tricks. You could just detach the handle while the 299 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:34,840 Speaker 1: corn was over the heat source and then reattach it 300 00:18:34,920 --> 00:18:38,840 Speaker 1: to pull the poppedcorn out. Ten years after Meyer's patent, 301 00:18:39,080 --> 00:18:42,840 Speaker 1: Charles Creeters enters the story, and he's a significant figure 302 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:47,199 Speaker 1: in popcorn's US history. Creators owned a candy store, and 303 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:50,119 Speaker 1: as he sought to expand his offerings, he ordered a 304 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:52,959 Speaker 1: peanut roaster for his shop so he could sell fresh 305 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 1: roasted nuts alongside his candy. He didn't actually like the roaster, though, 306 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: and started taking it apart to see if he could 307 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:04,720 Speaker 1: improve on it somehow. In the tinkering, Creators expanded his 308 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:07,960 Speaker 1: vision to invent a new roaster instead of just trying 309 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 1: to fix the one he purchased and didn't like. Around 310 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:14,160 Speaker 1: the same time, he realized he could design a machine 311 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:17,719 Speaker 1: that would pop popcorn as well as roast peanuts, and 312 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:20,600 Speaker 1: that he could use it to roast coffee beans. As well. 313 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:23,920 Speaker 1: He ended up building roasters in a variety of sizes 314 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:28,080 Speaker 1: to fit different needs. Creators used steam to run his machinery, 315 00:19:28,119 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: which gave consistent power and in the case of the popcorn, 316 00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:35,360 Speaker 1: that meant it would heat evenly and produce consistent batches 317 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:39,000 Speaker 1: of white, fluffy popcorn. He popped that in a mixture 318 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:43,120 Speaker 1: of lard and clarified butter. The steam was then used 319 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:46,480 Speaker 1: to keep the popped popcorn warm. He was able to 320 00:19:46,480 --> 00:19:49,560 Speaker 1: add seasonings before popping, and that would stick to the 321 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:53,760 Speaker 1: kernels as they exploded. Soon he was selling roasting machines 322 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:58,360 Speaker 1: to other entrepreneurs instead of selling candy. In eighteen ninety three, 323 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:03,400 Speaker 1: Creators exhibited at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Popular 324 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 1: Mechanics reported on the popcorn machine on wheels that he 325 00:20:06,680 --> 00:20:10,000 Speaker 1: had on display, which was marketed to grocery stores, initially 326 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:11,879 Speaker 1: as something that they could move in or out of 327 00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:15,719 Speaker 1: the building as proprietors wished. According to that write up 328 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:18,879 Speaker 1: in Popular Mechanics quote, this machine was designed with the 329 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:21,919 Speaker 1: idea of moving it about to any location where the 330 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,880 Speaker 1: operator would be likely to do a good business. The apparatus, 331 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,480 Speaker 1: which is light and strong and weighing, but four hundred 332 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:31,280 Speaker 1: or five hundred pounds can be drawn readily by a 333 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:34,600 Speaker 1: boy or by a small pony to any picnic ground, fair, 334 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:38,199 Speaker 1: political rally, etc. And to many other places where a 335 00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:40,400 Speaker 1: good business could be done for a day or two. 336 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:43,840 Speaker 1: After kind of a slow start at the expo where 337 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:47,119 Speaker 1: he couldn't get people interested, Creators just started making bags 338 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:50,879 Speaker 1: of popcorn to give away, and then that freebee plus 339 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:54,280 Speaker 1: the smell of popcorn popping, made the crowd show up. 340 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: He eventually started selling the popcorn, and he made a 341 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 1: nice sum over the course of the exposition, and the 342 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:03,639 Speaker 1: success of his popcorn sales also inspired the sales of 343 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:07,160 Speaker 1: his mobile popcorn machine, which he called the earn More, 344 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:11,360 Speaker 1: and this launched an entirely new field of mobile food vending. 345 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:15,160 Speaker 1: While people have sold food on foot for centuries, We've 346 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:17,840 Speaker 1: talked about it so many times, this was new in 347 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:20,560 Speaker 1: that the food could be prepared on the spot wherever 348 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:25,120 Speaker 1: the vendor went. Other manufacturers of nut roasting machines hustled 349 00:21:25,119 --> 00:21:27,879 Speaker 1: to get in on this new popcorn market by making 350 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:31,480 Speaker 1: poppers similar to creets. The creater's company, by the way, 351 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:36,040 Speaker 1: still exists today, and it still manufactures concession equipment of 352 00:21:36,119 --> 00:21:40,320 Speaker 1: all kinds. As Creaters was working on his popping machine, 353 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:44,600 Speaker 1: commercially produced popcorn became available at retail. Up until the 354 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:48,440 Speaker 1: eighteen eighties, people who made popcorn were usually growing their 355 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,600 Speaker 1: own or getting it in places like farmer's markets, but 356 00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:55,200 Speaker 1: in the eighteen eighties the Albert Dickinson Company started offering 357 00:21:55,320 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 1: prepackaged popcorn with the branding names of Big Buster and 358 00:21:59,440 --> 00:22:04,879 Speaker 1: Little Bust. Similarly, other people besides Creators were working to 359 00:22:04,960 --> 00:22:08,960 Speaker 1: innovate in the corn popping arena. One of Creeter's employees, 360 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:11,640 Speaker 1: C F. Dunbar, left the company to start his own 361 00:22:11,680 --> 00:22:15,040 Speaker 1: popcorn machine business, and he invented a machine that would 362 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:18,560 Speaker 1: pop the popcorn dry without any oil and then pass 363 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:22,359 Speaker 1: it through an automated butter dispenser. The first patent for 364 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: a machine that would coat popcorn with a sugar glaze 365 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,119 Speaker 1: to keep each popped kernel fresh was filed by a 366 00:22:28,119 --> 00:22:32,320 Speaker 1: man named James Voods. This machine kept those popkernels separate 367 00:22:32,320 --> 00:22:34,919 Speaker 1: from one another, so each one could dry with the 368 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:39,360 Speaker 1: coating without clumping up into a ball. Frederick and Lewis 369 00:22:39,520 --> 00:22:43,160 Speaker 1: Rookheim of Germany developed a hand held popper that gave 370 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:46,800 Speaker 1: them the capability to flavor each small batch however they wished. 371 00:22:47,440 --> 00:22:52,159 Speaker 1: The Rookheims are also responsible for introducing an enduring snack brand, 372 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:56,639 Speaker 1: which is Crackerjack. Crackerjack, in case anybody in our listening 373 00:22:56,640 --> 00:23:00,159 Speaker 1: audience has not had it, combines popcorn and peanuts. The 374 00:23:00,200 --> 00:23:04,480 Speaker 1: molasses coating Crackerjack was such a huge hit that copycat 375 00:23:04,520 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: recipes started showing up in cookbooks not long after its introduction. 376 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:13,440 Speaker 1: Once again, because of the low cost, popcorn has endured 377 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:18,320 Speaker 1: in popularity through various economic downturns. During the Great Depression, 378 00:23:18,440 --> 00:23:21,320 Speaker 1: popcorn became one of the few treats that families could 379 00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 1: still afford. It was kind of an austerity luxury, and 380 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:27,840 Speaker 1: it also meant that companies that sold popcorn fared better 381 00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:31,520 Speaker 1: during the Great Depression than other industries as popcorn sales 382 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:35,480 Speaker 1: continued to rise. The depression also led to one of 383 00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:38,600 Speaker 1: the most common associations we have with popcorn, and that's 384 00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:42,119 Speaker 1: being a movie theater snack. This was a cost effective 385 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:45,040 Speaker 1: way for theater owners to offer some kind of snack 386 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:48,920 Speaker 1: that overhead was very low. But not all theaters were 387 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:52,320 Speaker 1: on board with the popcorn boom. Initially, some of them 388 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:56,520 Speaker 1: feared rightfully as Anybody who has ever left a theater 389 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 1: at the end of a movie has seen that it 390 00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:04,400 Speaker 1: would make messes. Sometimes people intentionally make bigger messes with it. 391 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:07,720 Speaker 1: There had also just been a push within the industry 392 00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: to create a luxury experience that popcorn and other snacks 393 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:15,400 Speaker 1: couldn't really match with. But it was so popular already 394 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,480 Speaker 1: as a low cost snack that popcorn sellers started to 395 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:21,920 Speaker 1: pop up adjacent to theaters, having moved there from sporting 396 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:25,760 Speaker 1: events and carnivals, so patrons could buy a bag on 397 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:30,159 Speaker 1: their way into the theater. Eventually, theater owners recognized that 398 00:24:30,200 --> 00:24:33,400 Speaker 1: they were losing a potential revenue stream and started offering 399 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:38,159 Speaker 1: popcorn in their establishments. In many theaters, this began as 400 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:41,760 Speaker 1: a rental arrangement with the vendors who had once been outside, 401 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:45,399 Speaker 1: but overtime theaters introduced their own snack counters and handled 402 00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:47,760 Speaker 1: their own concessions. And of course most won't let you 403 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:50,919 Speaker 1: bring a whole bag of popcorn in with you unless 404 00:24:50,920 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 1: you're really sly, and then they're still take you to 405 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:55,240 Speaker 1: do it. But you know, I'm not going to comment 406 00:24:55,280 --> 00:24:59,159 Speaker 1: on that anyway. Another world event that further solidified popcorns 407 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 1: hold on the US the snack market was World War II. 408 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:04,719 Speaker 1: Sugar was ration in World War Two. It was one 409 00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:07,560 Speaker 1: of the first things to be ration The supply lines 410 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:11,480 Speaker 1: that the continental US got sugar through were the Philippines, Hawaii, 411 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:14,879 Speaker 1: Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, all of which 412 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:20,080 Speaker 1: were theaters of war, so those supply lines were essentially cut. Additionally, 413 00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:23,400 Speaker 1: what sugar there was was often sent overseas for troops. 414 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,639 Speaker 1: The amount of sugar allowed through rationing was half of 415 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:30,720 Speaker 1: what most households used on average. Because of the sugar shortage, 416 00:25:30,920 --> 00:25:34,239 Speaker 1: savory popcorn once again had a surge of popularity as 417 00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:36,720 Speaker 1: a snack that was readily available and could be eaten 418 00:25:36,800 --> 00:25:41,399 Speaker 1: without sugar. Reportedly, popcorn consumption in the US tripled in 419 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:44,640 Speaker 1: the early nineteen forties. Coming up, we'll talk about how 420 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:49,080 Speaker 1: the invention of television caused popcorn's popularity to dip for 421 00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:51,760 Speaker 1: a little bit. But first we will hear from some 422 00:25:51,880 --> 00:26:05,640 Speaker 1: sponsors that keep the show going. Okay, we will finally 423 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:08,879 Speaker 1: get to an important historical moment that actually hurt popcorn 424 00:26:08,920 --> 00:26:11,480 Speaker 1: sales at least for a little while, and that's the 425 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:15,840 Speaker 1: advent of television. As people adopted the new technology at home, 426 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:19,280 Speaker 1: they made big use of it as an entertainment investment, 427 00:26:19,800 --> 00:26:22,800 Speaker 1: and as a consequence, movie theaters saw a drop in 428 00:26:22,880 --> 00:26:28,240 Speaker 1: ticket sales and thus popcorn sales also declined at this point. 429 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:31,719 Speaker 1: In this moment, popcorn was usually, though not always, a 430 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:34,840 Speaker 1: treat that people would eat when they went out. People 431 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:38,080 Speaker 1: absolutely did continue to make popcorn at home, but that 432 00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:41,480 Speaker 1: was no longer the primary way that most popcorn was consumed. 433 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 1: But that shift to home entertainment brought about by the 434 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:48,760 Speaker 1: rise of television shifted things once again for popcorn two, 435 00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:52,439 Speaker 1: because then after a while, they missed that popcorn, and 436 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:55,119 Speaker 1: it became more and more common again for families to 437 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:58,560 Speaker 1: make popcorn themselves at home to eat while watching TV. 438 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:05,000 Speaker 1: Another icon of popcorn's popularity in the US was Orville Reddenbacker. 439 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:09,720 Speaker 1: Redenbacker was born in Brazil, Indiana, on July sixteenth, nineteen 440 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:13,600 Speaker 1: oh seven. His parents were corn farmers, and Orville grow 441 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:17,560 Speaker 1: up to work as a Farm Bureau extension agent. After 442 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:22,159 Speaker 1: graduating from Purdue University with a degree in agronomy, he 443 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 1: also opened his own very successful fertilizer company. But popcorn 444 00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:29,920 Speaker 1: had always been his favorite treat, and he had dabbled 445 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:34,320 Speaker 1: for years with the idea of creating a perfect popping corn. 446 00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:38,640 Speaker 1: By their early nineteen seventies, Reddenbacher was ready to turn 447 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:42,240 Speaker 1: that hobby into a business. He had developed a strain 448 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:45,400 Speaker 1: of corn that he felt was absolutely perfect for popping, 449 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:48,199 Speaker 1: and he partnered with a man named Charlie Bowman to 450 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:51,040 Speaker 1: launch a company to sell it. And the popcorn was 451 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:54,200 Speaker 1: originally named as a portmanteau of the two men's names. 452 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:56,679 Speaker 1: It was called red bow but by the time they 453 00:27:56,760 --> 00:28:00,480 Speaker 1: started selling it it was Orville Reddenbacker Popcorn. To name 454 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:03,359 Speaker 1: change that he said was based on advice from an 455 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:06,840 Speaker 1: advertising firm. There's a very funny David Letterman clip of 456 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:09,520 Speaker 1: him explaining this thing if you ever want to go 457 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:12,760 Speaker 1: hunting for it online. It was a very small company 458 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:16,159 Speaker 1: to start. Orville initially was selling the popcorn out of 459 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:19,919 Speaker 1: his car, but in nineteen seventy two there was a 460 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:24,960 Speaker 1: huge ad campaign. Orville starred in the commercials right alongside 461 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:29,000 Speaker 1: his popcorn, and soon he became really well recognized. Although 462 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:31,920 Speaker 1: he was so associated with the commercials that a lot 463 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:36,160 Speaker 1: of people thought he was an actor portraying the character 464 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:40,000 Speaker 1: of Orvile Redbacker, not like actually the man that the 465 00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: product was named for. Regardless of whether consumers understood the 466 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 1: importance of the company's commercial spokesman, Orville Reddenbacker, popcorn became 467 00:28:50,520 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 1: a huge seller. And then there was, of course, the 468 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:58,200 Speaker 1: microwave of it. So the microwave, which we talked about before, 469 00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 1: was the brainchild of Percy, who worked for Raytheon Manufacturing Corporation, 470 00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:06,959 Speaker 1: which producer reported eighty percent of the magnetrons used by 471 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,680 Speaker 1: the Allied forces in World War II. In a meeting 472 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:13,120 Speaker 1: where the executives of Raytheon were trying to come up 473 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:16,360 Speaker 1: with ways to keep the company's momentum going in peacetime, 474 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:20,600 Speaker 1: Spencer suggested that magnetrons might be used to cook food. 475 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:24,200 Speaker 1: Spencer was really well respected. His work had been what 476 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:27,960 Speaker 1: enabled Raytheon to produce magnetrons at the scale needed to 477 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 1: support the war effort, so they took his idea to 478 00:29:31,560 --> 00:29:35,440 Speaker 1: heart and started experimenting with food. We've talked before about 479 00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:38,360 Speaker 1: Spencer and that great story about how he realized that 480 00:29:38,440 --> 00:29:41,200 Speaker 1: microwaves could heat food when a candy bar in his 481 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:43,960 Speaker 1: pocket melted while he was working in the lab one day. 482 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:48,640 Speaker 1: Building on that food lore, popcorn didn't just benefit from 483 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 1: the transition of microwave technology into home use. It was 484 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: also an important part of developing it. Percy Spencer used 485 00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:58,920 Speaker 1: popcorn to test what would happen to it when it 486 00:29:58,960 --> 00:30:01,560 Speaker 1: was exposed to the magne tron. After this whole melting 487 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:04,360 Speaker 1: candy bar incident, he said to have ended up with 488 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:08,600 Speaker 1: popped kernels flying all over the lab. Although the development 489 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:11,240 Speaker 1: of the microwave began in the nineteen forties, it didn't 490 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:15,320 Speaker 1: really become widely appealing to home consumers for several decades. 491 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:18,960 Speaker 1: But once that new technology was integrated into a lot 492 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:23,520 Speaker 1: of people's household lives, manufacturers sought ways to capitalize on it, 493 00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:28,200 Speaker 1: and they started developing popcorn specifically designed for microwave use, 494 00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:31,560 Speaker 1: and microwave popcorn is one of those oddities that was 495 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:36,520 Speaker 1: embraced by consumers really quickly. Microwave popcorn got a boost 496 00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:40,400 Speaker 1: from the huge surge in fitness enthusiasm in the nineteen eighties. 497 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:43,160 Speaker 1: It's a pretty healthy treat. It has a low calorie 498 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: and sodium count, and it offers a lot of fiber. 499 00:30:45,920 --> 00:30:49,000 Speaker 1: So just as more and more households were getting microwaves, 500 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:52,560 Speaker 1: a large portion of those households were interested in popcorn. 501 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:55,400 Speaker 1: Whether it was just because it's an easy tasty treat 502 00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:59,040 Speaker 1: or because they saw it as healthier than other options. 503 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:03,280 Speaker 1: I will say that sodium number can really vary depending well. 504 00:31:03,440 --> 00:31:08,360 Speaker 1: Popcorn on its own right, no, very little sodium, very little. 505 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:11,480 Speaker 1: But if it's covered in salty butter, if with the 506 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:17,600 Speaker 1: national salt, that changes. In a nineteen eighty seven article 507 00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:21,040 Speaker 1: in The New York Times titled microwave key to popcorn War, 508 00:31:21,640 --> 00:31:24,560 Speaker 1: it was noted that quote five years ago, microwave popcorn 509 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:27,760 Speaker 1: did not exist. In nineteen eighty three, the first full 510 00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:31,920 Speaker 1: year that microwave popcorn was available nationally, it generated retail 511 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:36,680 Speaker 1: sales of fifty three million dollars according to Packaged Facts, 512 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:42,200 Speaker 1: a New York based consumer research concern. Last year, consumers 513 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:45,280 Speaker 1: popped and estimated two hundred and fifty million dollars worth 514 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:48,880 Speaker 1: of the stuff according to the Popcorn Institute, a Chicago 515 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 1: based trade group. Yeah, that's huge growth over a five 516 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:56,600 Speaker 1: year period. That article also noted that Orville Reddenbacher, who 517 00:31:56,640 --> 00:31:59,160 Speaker 1: at that point was the undisputed king of home use 518 00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:02,240 Speaker 1: popcorn brand for more than a decade, was suddenly in 519 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:06,680 Speaker 1: competition with companies like Pillsbury, General Mills, and Nabisco, which 520 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 1: had all launched their own microwave popcorn products. The article 521 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:14,640 Speaker 1: then quoted then GM of General Mills Donald Newtson as 522 00:32:14,720 --> 00:32:18,240 Speaker 1: saying of their microwave popcorn pop secret quote, this is 523 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:22,680 Speaker 1: easily the hottest microwave product General Mills has ever introduced. 524 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:26,640 Speaker 1: The article also mentions cost and that even though microwave 525 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:29,800 Speaker 1: popcorn costs more than twice as much as regular popcorn, 526 00:32:30,200 --> 00:32:33,400 Speaker 1: consumers seemed to be happy to pay that for the convenience. 527 00:32:34,280 --> 00:32:37,280 Speaker 1: But we should note that though Reddenbacher had competition, and 528 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:39,760 Speaker 1: that was the whole crux of this article, that brand, 529 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 1: which was owned by the Beatrice Company in nineteen eighty seven, 530 00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:46,360 Speaker 1: had been selling microwave popcorn since nineteen eighty three, and 531 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:49,520 Speaker 1: it was still the leading brand on the market when 532 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:53,320 Speaker 1: Orbal Reddenbacher died in nineteen ninety five, his popcorn accounted 533 00:32:53,360 --> 00:32:57,840 Speaker 1: for forty five percent of the market. Citing market experts, 534 00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:01,200 Speaker 1: that article also predicted that a few brands would survive 535 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:05,440 Speaker 1: and thrive, but all other microwave popcorn makers would fall away. 536 00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:10,320 Speaker 1: This was way off base given the situation at most 537 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:13,880 Speaker 1: grocery stores these days, where there are dozens of options 538 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:20,680 Speaker 1: for microwave popcorn and many other products. Also ay off 539 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:23,520 Speaker 1: base was a quote from Deborah A. Koom who was 540 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:28,880 Speaker 1: manager of popcorn popper manufacturer West Bend Company. According to 541 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:31,960 Speaker 1: her quote, microwave popcorn is a fad. It will last 542 00:33:32,000 --> 00:33:36,320 Speaker 1: until people read labels and realize what chemicals microwave manufacturers 543 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:41,920 Speaker 1: put into their popcorn. Microwave popcorn did lose some market 544 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:46,040 Speaker 1: share to pre popped popcorn in the early twenty teens, 545 00:33:46,640 --> 00:33:50,520 Speaker 1: but it's still around. It's not a fad. Popcorn is, 546 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:53,440 Speaker 1: in fact, such an enduring treat that it enabled some 547 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:56,720 Speaker 1: movie theaters to stay afloat even when no movies were 548 00:33:56,720 --> 00:34:00,520 Speaker 1: showing during the early days of the pandemic. Twenty twenty 549 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:03,320 Speaker 1: three rate up at Sirius Eats, the co owner of 550 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:07,200 Speaker 1: a theater in Parkridge, Illinois named Dave Loomos talked about 551 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:11,080 Speaker 1: his company's use of popcorn to maintain business. He said, quote, 552 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:13,839 Speaker 1: we had our doors closed and no income coming in. 553 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:17,120 Speaker 1: We decided to do curb side popcorn pickup to see 554 00:34:17,160 --> 00:34:18,960 Speaker 1: how it would go, and we've been doing that for 555 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:21,399 Speaker 1: the past couple of weeks and it seems like it's 556 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,919 Speaker 1: well received. That's very smart, in my opinion. I think 557 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:29,080 Speaker 1: so too. Popcorn once again had a huge surge when 558 00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:33,080 Speaker 1: the COVID nineteen pandemic began because people wanted to replicate 559 00:34:33,160 --> 00:34:37,680 Speaker 1: movie night at home. Grocery Store popcorn sales ROSA reported 560 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:41,880 Speaker 1: thirty percent. In twenty twenty one, the global popcorn market 561 00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:45,919 Speaker 1: was estimated to be worth five point two billion dollars. 562 00:34:46,360 --> 00:34:50,480 Speaker 1: It's expected to continue on a growth trajectory into twenty thirty. 563 00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:54,120 Speaker 1: One of the largest drivers today is the ready to 564 00:34:54,160 --> 00:35:02,000 Speaker 1: eat popcorn market and particularly gourmet flavors of pre popped popcorn. Oh, popcorn, 565 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:06,600 Speaker 1: I love you, mm hmmm ah. I will talk in 566 00:35:06,719 --> 00:35:10,919 Speaker 1: behind the scenes on Friday about popcorn. Yeah, Ada, super will. 567 00:35:11,000 --> 00:35:16,960 Speaker 1: I'm excited popcorn. I have a listener mail from our listener, Trenna. 568 00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:21,279 Speaker 1: tRNA writes, Hi, Tracy and Holly. First, of course, I 569 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:23,920 Speaker 1: am a longtime listener and fan, but first time emailer. 570 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,400 Speaker 1: I love the podcast and often listen when I'm driving 571 00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:28,719 Speaker 1: for a number of hours, so I get both episodes 572 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:31,879 Speaker 1: and the behind the scenes all in one swoop. I'm 573 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:34,400 Speaker 1: finally writing because it seems that all of the stars 574 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:36,719 Speaker 1: aligned to compel me to say how thankful I am 575 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:39,839 Speaker 1: for your podcast. As a history major, I loved hearing 576 00:35:39,880 --> 00:35:42,200 Speaker 1: the behind the scenes, so to speak, regarding the famous 577 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:45,279 Speaker 1: people of our past. So, just after listening to your 578 00:35:45,320 --> 00:35:47,640 Speaker 1: episode on Vinnie Reem, I went to Washington, D C. 579 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 1: For a friend's birthday. I really wanted to see the statue, 580 00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:54,400 Speaker 1: but unfortunately all of the tours of the Capitol Building 581 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:58,080 Speaker 1: were sold out. Instead, I spent many an hour touring 582 00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:02,000 Speaker 1: all of the monuments and tributes include Washington Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, 583 00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:06,040 Speaker 1: World War One and two memorials, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, 584 00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:09,040 Speaker 1: African American History Museum, which is an amazing museum if 585 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:12,960 Speaker 1: you've never been. That's my input. Harriet Tubman Museum in Cambridge, 586 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:15,760 Speaker 1: in many more places. My last tour that I crammed 587 00:36:15,760 --> 00:36:17,880 Speaker 1: in that day I was leaving, but I could not 588 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:21,120 Speaker 1: leave without seeing Arlington. I took a two hour walking 589 00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:25,400 Speaker 1: tour that included JFK Memorial and his Brothers and Justice Ginsburg, 590 00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:29,359 Speaker 1: Thurgood Marshall, and many more. I was disappointed to not 591 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:32,640 Speaker 1: see any statue, but our tour guide pointed out a 592 00:36:32,680 --> 00:36:35,400 Speaker 1: grave site and asked anyone if they knew who they were. 593 00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:38,720 Speaker 1: It was Jimmy Doolittle and I was like horsehack dating 594 00:36:38,760 --> 00:36:41,680 Speaker 1: myself here because of course I listened to the episode. 595 00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:43,560 Speaker 1: I took a picture of the tomb to include in 596 00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:46,120 Speaker 1: this email, just to send you thank you so much 597 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:48,120 Speaker 1: for what you do. I love listening to the funny 598 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:49,960 Speaker 1: parts of the story and how you both crack up 599 00:36:49,960 --> 00:36:52,719 Speaker 1: at the sillier side of things. So to that end, 600 00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:55,040 Speaker 1: my poor old kiddy died last year after a very 601 00:36:55,040 --> 00:36:57,640 Speaker 1: long life, so I'm including a picture of another funny 602 00:36:57,680 --> 00:37:01,000 Speaker 1: episode from my past background. My husband and I had 603 00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:04,160 Speaker 1: two dogs who were BFFs forever. When the older one, 604 00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:08,000 Speaker 1: Mac died, my poor little miniature Docsin was heartbroken, following 605 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:10,840 Speaker 1: me everywhere. So I had the bright idea of adopting 606 00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:13,600 Speaker 1: another docs in to keep him company. I found a 607 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:16,480 Speaker 1: rescue on a website and thought she was adorable. We 608 00:37:16,520 --> 00:37:18,759 Speaker 1: went out to meet her with Winston to see if 609 00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:21,440 Speaker 1: they were compatible. They appeared to get along well, so 610 00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:23,840 Speaker 1: I said we will take her, at which point the 611 00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:27,799 Speaker 1: rescue center told me about her mother. Apparently the two 612 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:29,560 Speaker 1: were living in a car with a bunch of other 613 00:37:29,640 --> 00:37:32,200 Speaker 1: dogs and they were all rescued and no one had 614 00:37:32,239 --> 00:37:34,080 Speaker 1: come forward for the mother, who she had been with 615 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:36,960 Speaker 1: her whole life. Yep, you guessed it. I'm a sucker, 616 00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:39,600 Speaker 1: so I said, give me the mom too. I love 617 00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:42,239 Speaker 1: you for this. Well two weeks later, I'm sitting on 618 00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:44,920 Speaker 1: our sofa and the younger one goes crazy, running all 619 00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:46,759 Speaker 1: over and up and down the stairs, pulling down the 620 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:49,800 Speaker 1: afghans and blankets, and I didn't know what to think about. 621 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:53,120 Speaker 1: Thirty minutes later, I hear a muling noise. I got 622 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:55,040 Speaker 1: up to look, and yes, you guessed it, there was 623 00:37:55,080 --> 00:37:58,400 Speaker 1: a puppy on the couch. I called to my husband calmly, 624 00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:01,960 Speaker 1: I'm sure, honey, I have a problem. After back and 625 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:04,600 Speaker 1: forth about yes, really, there is a puppy on our couch, 626 00:38:04,800 --> 00:38:07,240 Speaker 1: he dove in and helped deliver the rest of the pups. 627 00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:09,960 Speaker 1: Of course, it was a Sunday, so no vets were open. 628 00:38:10,160 --> 00:38:12,880 Speaker 1: In the end, we navigated the delivery of three puppies 629 00:38:13,440 --> 00:38:15,600 Speaker 1: within two days. One of my best friends came over 630 00:38:15,680 --> 00:38:18,080 Speaker 1: and said how cute the puppies were. Then she looked 631 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:19,880 Speaker 1: at the mom and said, I'll have one of hers. 632 00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:22,279 Speaker 1: I said she's not pregnant, and my friends said, yes, 633 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:25,120 Speaker 1: she is. Sure enough. My husband took mom to the 634 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:27,520 Speaker 1: vet the next day, and four puppies were in our future. 635 00:38:27,640 --> 00:38:30,120 Speaker 1: So long story, short, we went from one dog to 636 00:38:30,200 --> 00:38:32,960 Speaker 1: ten dogs in about a month. Here's a picture of 637 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:35,920 Speaker 1: my miniature docs in with the puppies. Who doesn't love 638 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:40,439 Speaker 1: a snuggle. Looking forward to seeing you in Indianapolis, Trena. One, 639 00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:43,879 Speaker 1: I love you for taking care of all of these bibbis. Two, 640 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:46,040 Speaker 1: I love you for adopting a mom. That's always my 641 00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:49,399 Speaker 1: thing on Mother's Day. Adopt the mom. Animals they don't 642 00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:51,680 Speaker 1: get taken in the puppies and kittens always do and 643 00:38:51,719 --> 00:38:54,319 Speaker 1: they often sit in shelters, So hooray for you. Thank 644 00:38:54,360 --> 00:38:56,480 Speaker 1: you for that. And also I have been at a 645 00:38:56,520 --> 00:38:58,719 Speaker 1: puppy delivery and it's a lot of work, and like 646 00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:01,440 Speaker 1: my hat is off to you, so thank you so 647 00:39:01,560 --> 00:39:04,200 Speaker 1: much for accidentally segueing us to being able to talk 648 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:06,719 Speaker 1: about our live show in Indiana. Yeah're going to be 649 00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:11,400 Speaker 1: at the Indiana Historical Society on July nineteenth, so if 650 00:39:11,400 --> 00:39:13,040 Speaker 1: you would like to see stuff you missed in history 651 00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:16,160 Speaker 1: Class live, it is a seven thirty to eight thirty 652 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:19,800 Speaker 1: PM show at the Eugene and Maryland Glick Indiana History Center. 653 00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:23,240 Speaker 1: It is thirty dollars if you're a member. It's twenty 654 00:39:23,239 --> 00:39:25,400 Speaker 1: dollars if you're only going to the show. There's another 655 00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:28,520 Speaker 1: option for a slightly more expensive ticket which also includes 656 00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:30,319 Speaker 1: a meet and greet, so we would love to see 657 00:39:30,320 --> 00:39:32,840 Speaker 1: you there. If you would like to register for this 658 00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:35,279 Speaker 1: show and come and see us in Indianapolis, we would 659 00:39:35,280 --> 00:39:38,240 Speaker 1: love to see you. You can do that at www 660 00:39:38,360 --> 00:39:42,400 Speaker 1: dot indianahistory dot org slash events and you'll see it 661 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:44,960 Speaker 1: right there, and we will be there, and Trent and 662 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:47,520 Speaker 1: I will hug you for taking care of all of 663 00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:50,960 Speaker 1: those dogs, because thank you for doing it. They're so cute. 664 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:54,920 Speaker 1: This is also the wonderful mystery and surprise sometimes of 665 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:59,240 Speaker 1: adopting rescue animals from shelters. Different shelters have different levels 666 00:39:59,239 --> 00:40:02,360 Speaker 1: of care they're able to give before adoption. Sometimes you 667 00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:07,239 Speaker 1: get a surprise. One of my previous cats, who is 668 00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:11,439 Speaker 1: no longer with me, was the mom and they had 669 00:40:11,480 --> 00:40:14,600 Speaker 1: found homes for all the babies, and then Villain l 670 00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:19,279 Speaker 1: came to live with me for the next decade ish. 671 00:40:19,360 --> 00:40:23,920 Speaker 1: More than that, she was a cute little shy thing. Yeah, yeah, 672 00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:26,399 Speaker 1: so thank you. If you want to write to us 673 00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:31,759 Speaker 1: about your adventures in touring historical sites or with animals 674 00:40:31,840 --> 00:40:34,640 Speaker 1: and surprise puppies, which I'm just gazing at this puppy picture, 675 00:40:34,680 --> 00:40:38,840 Speaker 1: It's like a dopamine hit, It's so good, or anything 676 00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:40,520 Speaker 1: else you want to talk about. You can write to 677 00:40:40,600 --> 00:40:43,719 Speaker 1: us at History Podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. You can 678 00:40:43,719 --> 00:40:46,400 Speaker 1: also find us on social media as missed in History 679 00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:49,360 Speaker 1: And if you would like to subscribe to the podcast 680 00:40:49,360 --> 00:40:51,839 Speaker 1: and you haven't, you can do that on the iHeartRadio 681 00:40:51,880 --> 00:40:59,800 Speaker 1: app or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Stuffy 682 00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:03,319 Speaker 1: and History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more 683 00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:07,719 Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 684 00:41:07,760 --> 00:41:11,560 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.