National Cherry Popsicle Day – August 26, 2026

History of National Cherry Popsicle Day

While the origin of most culinary dishes is shrouded in mystery, the origin of the popsicle is well known. The credit for the invention of this delicious treat goes to an 11-year-old boy! Francis William Epperson was preparing a soda pop out on his porch during the cold winter months. He was making soda pop by mixing soda powder with water. As is likely of any 11-year old, he absentmindedly forgot the drink on the porch and went inside. The concoction froze overnight and the next day he found the drink, albeit frozen, with the stirring stick in it — and that’s how the popsicle was born.

This remained a private invention until 18 years later when the rest of the world would be introduced to this delicious treat. The boy took it upon himself to introduce the frozen pop on a stick at an amusement park called Neptune Beach in Belmar, New Jersey. It was so successful that he immediately applied for a patent. The treat was named the ‘popsicle’ at the urging of his children. Until then, the popsicle was being sold as ‘Epsicle Ice Pop.” As they say, the rest is history and today popsicles have become synonymous with summers and happy childhood memories.

Even though Popsicle is a copyright term, almost all of us use it to describe any frozen treat. In fact, popsicles regularly feature in song lyrics, dialogues in movies and books, without us even realizing that it falls under copyright! It’s interesting how this humble treat continues to be full of surprises.