Too often we take things around us for granted, never stopping to ask how they came to be. Almost everyone in the US knows what a popsicle is, but how many of you really know how it was invented?

Back in 1905 in San Francisco, an 11-year-old boy named Frank Epperson wanted to make sodas and mixed powdered sodas with water. He used a stick to stir his invention and then turned his attention to other things. The drink was left on the porch all night and Frank discovered it the next day; it froze completely with the stirring rod still inside thanks to record low temperatures overnight.

Eighteen years later, Frank remembered the incident and decided to present his invention at Neptune Beach in California. His ice cream was an instant hit, so he patented his idea. He originally named his invention “Eppsicle”, but eventually his children convinced him to change the name to “Popsicle”. Some also referred to the frozen treat as an “ice lollipop.”

While Epperson’s invention was well received by the public, it did not bring the instant monetary success he hoped to bail him out of his real estate troubles.

Epperson partnered his Popsicle Corporation with the Loew Movie Company, which handled sales and marketing of the product. He only held the patent from 1924 to 1929 before selling it; he was completely broke and liquidated all his assets in cash even though he had earned royalties on 60 million popsicle sales.

Frank sold his popsicle rights to the Joe Lowe Company of New York. The treat was then sold for a nickel and made from birch sticks. Popsicle sticks are still popular today in many craft and school projects. Later in 1965 the rights were sold to Consolidated Foods. In 1986, Popsicle’s US operations fell under the Gold Bond Ice Cream Company of Wisconsin, later being sold to Good Humor, the subsidiary of the British-Dutch consumer food company Unilever.

Another frozen product that you may recognize is also owned by Unilever is the Creamsicle. It is a vanilla ice cream topped with orange, lime, cherry, grape or blue raspberry flavored ice. The Dreamsicle is similar to the Creamsicle, but its center contains ice milk instead of ice cream.

Another name you’ll recognize among ice cream is Fudgesicle, also owned by Unilever; Fudgesicle can be found in milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or white chocolate.

A more recent addition to the popsicle lineup are slow melt popsicles, which contain gelatin to keep them from melting as quickly as the original treat.

Today, the original seven flavors have grown to include thirty; the most popular flavor is classic orange and has been for many years.

Frank lived to be 89 years old and regretted the sale of the patent in 1929 for the rest of his life.