Did you know that some of your favorite things came about by accident? A special kind of spring in a battleship engine became the Slinky. Play-Doh, created to clean wallpaper, evolved into a toy. Another famous but accidental invention is the popsicle!

In San Fransisco in 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson was thirsty. He made himself his favorite drink by mixing fruit-flavored powder and water. Frank left the mixture outside with a stirring stick in it. The next morning, he discovered the drink frozen solid. Frank took it out of the cup and had the very first popsicle. They were so good that he decided to share them with his neighbors. He called them “Epsicles”—Epperson’s icicles!

In 1923, he started a business selling them at a local amusement park, and applied for a patent in 1924. Later, his children changed the name to “Popsicle.” Get it? Pop’s icicle! Today, people enjoy two billion popsicles every year.

So, the next time you have a popsicle, be sure to thank Frank Epperson for his determination to have that fruit drink, no matter what!