TED-Ed Video Explains How Popcorn Became a Movie-Watching Staple

In case you ever wondered how popcorn became a movie-watching staple, I’ve got a video here from TED-Ed that explains the history of popcorn and why we eat it at the movies. Whenever I go to the movies, I have to get myself a big bucket of popcorn. It’s something I’ve done ever since I was a kid, and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Until this video came along, I actually had no idea why popcorn became a big thing at the movies, but now I know… and knowing is half the battle.

Soft percussion and a toasty scent mark the violent transformation of tough seeds into cloud-like puffs. This is the almost magical process of popcorn-making. Dozens of kinds of popcorn are now grown in the US, with different strains assuming distinctive shapes when their kernels explode. So, how did we actually end up with this whimsical food?

This TED-Ed lesson was written by Andrew Smith and directed by Mitchelle Tamariz, and it was narrated by Addison Anderson.