In 1905, an 11-year-old boy named Frank Epperson was living in San Francisco. Like many kids, Frank loved a cold, sweet drink, and one chilly evening, he decided to mix some sugary soda powder with water in a cup. He used a wooden stirrer to mix it up, but he got distracted and accidentally left the cup out on his back porch overnight.

That night, the temperature in San Francisco dropped significantly. When Frank woke up and went outside the next morning, he discovered that his drink had frozen solid. When he pulled the wooden stirrer, the entire block of frozen soda came out with it, creating a “frozen drink on a stick”.

Frank originally called his accidental invention the “Epsicle” (a combination of his name and “icicle”). He started selling them around his neighborhood and even at a local amusement park. Years later, his own children began calling them “Pop’s ‘sicles,” which eventually led to the name we all know today: the Popsicle.