National Grape Popsicle Day

National Grape Popsicle Day, observed on May 27th, celebrates the classic purple, grape-flavored frozen treat that has been a nostalgic summertime staple for generations of American children. The popsicle itself was reportedly invented by accident in 1905 by an eleven-year-old boy named Frank Epperson, who accidentally left a cup of powdered soda mixed with water and a stirring stick outside overnight during an unusually cold evening in San Francisco, discovering the frozen, stick-held treat the next morning, though he did not patent and commercially develop the invention, originally called the "Epsicle," until nearly two decades later in the 1920s, when he renamed it the Popsicle at his children's suggestion. Grape flavor, along with cherry and orange, quickly became one of the most iconic and enduringly popular popsicle flavors throughout the 20th century, its distinctive bright purple color and characteristically artificial, candy-like grape flavor becoming instantly recognizable even to those unfamiliar with the taste of actual grapes, since the flavoring bears relatively little resemblance to fresh grape flavor and instead draws on a chemical compound also used in classic grape soda and grape-flavored candy. Popsicles and other frozen ice pops remain an especially popular, affordable way to cool off during hot summer weather, sold in a huge range of flavors, shapes, and brands, from mass-market grocery store products to artisanal, all-natural fruit pop varieties.