How Popcorn Became a Movie Watching Staple

In a tasty TED-Ed lesson written by Andrew Smith and directed by Mitchelle Tamariz, narrator Addison Anderson explains the history of popcorn and how it became a movie-watching staple.

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?

Popcorn at the Movies

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.

Recent Posts