Friday, July 24, 2026

Question: On a freezing night in 1905, an 11-year-old in the San Francisco Bay Area left a cup of soda with a stir stick outside, and by morning it had frozen solid. What summertime treat did he accidentally invent?

Answer: The Popsicle. Frank Epperson tasted his frozen soda on a stick and later patented the treat after first calling it the Eppsicle. His children began calling it the Popsicle, a name he eventually adopted officially. He received a patent for the frozen treat in 1924.