The popsicle: a frozen drink on a stick, discovered by accident in 1905

In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson of Oakland, California, mixed powdered lemonade soda with water and left the glass on his porch with a stirring stick still inside. That night, record-low temperatures froze the mixture solid around the stick. Epperson discovered the frozen treat the next morning, pulled it out by the stick, and tasted it. He had accidentally invented the ice pop.

Epperson did nothing with the discovery for 17 years. In 1922, at age 28, he introduced the frozen treat at a fireman's ball in San Francisco, where it was an immediate hit. The following year, at age 29, he filed a patent for a 'frozen ice on a stick,' calling it the 'Epsicle' — a combination of his last name and icicle. By 1924 he had patented all handled frozen confections.

Epperson debuted the Epsicle in seven fruit flavors at the Neptune Beach amusement park in California, marketing it as a 'frozen lollipop.' He sold the rights to the invention and the Popsicle brand name to the Joe Lowe Company of New York in 1925. The treats were sold for a nickel on birch sticks. A twin-stick version was introduced for sharing. The name was later changed to 'Popsicle,' reportedly coined by Epperson's children.

The Popsicle became a cultural icon and a generic trademark for frozen ice on a stick in the United States and Canada. Unilever now owns the brand, selling hundreds of millions of popsicles annually in over 30 flavors. A drink left on a cold porch by an 11-year-old became one of the world's most recognizable frozen treats.