Unit6-Part1-Reading

A frozen invention.

When you were licking an ice pop or a popsicle on a hot day,

you're enjoying a little boy's accidental invention.

It was 1905, and soda pop was a popular fizzy drink.

Frank Epperson was just 11 years old.

He often drank soda pops.

He spent all of his pocket money on them.

Finally, he decided to make his soda pops at home and save his money.

One evening, when he was sitting on the porch,

he poured some sugar and soda powder into a cup of water.

Then, he mixed them with a stirring stick.

But when he went to bed, he forgot to take the cup inside.

It was an extremely cold night, so the soda water in the cup froze.

It was like an icicle on a stick.

When Frank woke up the next morning, he saw the frozen cup on the porch.

He poured hot water over it and pulled the ice out, holding it from the stick.

Then, he began to lick it.

He loved it. It was a sweet treat.

After that, he often made these frozen pops.

Seventeen years later, he remembered his invention of the ice pop.

He began to make frozen pops for his children.

He added different fruit flavors to them.

Soon, he began selling them to his neighbors.

Epperson named the ice pops epsicles at first.

But his kids called them popsicles, so Epperson named his invention popsicle.

In 1923, Epperson began to sell his popsicles at the amusement park near the beach.

He made fifteen popsicles for the first day.

They sold out in just ten minutes.

People wanted more and more each day.

Finally, Epperson got a patent for his invention.

In 1925, he sold it to a big ice cream company in New York.

Then, popsicles became a popular summer treat for kids.