While the act of popping corn is much older, the first popcorn is often linked to one man’s name. Charles Cretors of Chicago is often recognized as the inventor of popcorn in modern days. Cretors was the inventor of the mobile popcorn cart in 1885. He redesigned a peanut roaster machine because he wasn’t satisfied with its functions. But, as he redesigned it, Cretors realized he could use it for popping kernels and making popcorn.
In December 1885, Charles Cretors obtained the vendor’s license and started selling popcorn outside his Chicago shop. By 1893, Cretors created the first popcorn machine that could pop corn in oil. Soon enough, he patented his invention and took it to Chicago’s Columbian Exposition, also known as the World’s Columbian Exposition. The popcorn machine was introduced to the public, and the rest is history.
