Today, January 19, 2014, is National Popcorn Day. Popcorn is a type of corn that expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Popcorn is able to pop because its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. Pressure builds inside the kernel, and a small explosion is the end result. Some strains of corn are now cultivated specifically as popping corns. Popcorn was first cultivated thousands of years ago by the people living in what is now Peru. It is one of the oldest forms of corn; evidence of popcorn from 3600 B.C. was found in New Mexico, while even older evidence was found in Peru. It is estimated that these remnants date from as early as 4700 B.C. Purple popcorn was found in the early 1900s.[
