:Draft:Popcorn Crisis of 1917

The legend holds that in the wake of the New York City Food Riots of 1917{{Cite web |date=2013-05-04 |title=The Food Riots of 1917 |url=https://www.gothamcenter.org/blog/the-food-riots-of-1917 |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=The Gotham Center for New York City History |language=en-US}}, not enough corn could be supplied to the common people, and the only corporations who could afford it were the movie theatres, which had grown rich off of their new and exciting products. People began to flock to movie theatres to get cheap food, and since the system worked, the movie theatres kept it, leading to a generations-long tradition of having popcorn in movie theatres.

Another version of the story holds that the movie theatres started selling corn first and only later discovered what happens when you heat it.{{Cite web |last=Times-Union |first=Jackie Shank For the |title=Exploring the myths around popcorn |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/story/lifestyle/food/2018/12/27/goods-exploring-myths-around-popcorn/6449895007/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=The Florida Times-Union |language=en-US}}

This story is almost certainly fictional. While popcorn did start appearing in movie theatres around this time, it was more likely a widespread result of the First World War than a local result of the New York City Food Riots of 1917.{{Cite web |last=team |first=The National Archives web |title=Fighting through food - The National Archives |url=https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/home-front-stories/fighting-through-food/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=Home front stories |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Mason |first=Maureen |date=2022-01-19 |title=National Veterans Memorial and Museum |url=https://nationalvmm.org/popcorn-throughout-the-world-wars/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=National Veterans Memorial and Museum |language=en-US}} In addition, movie theatres could not afford corn or in fact anything except for their rent. At this time, most movie theatres were nickelodeons. People only had to pay a Nickel to watch a movie. This corresponds to about 2 dollars today. In addition, the Incans discovered popcorn over 900 years before movies were even thought of.{{Cite web |last=Science |first=Chef |date=2020-09-29 |title=Popcorn History - From the Iroquois to Microwave Popcorn |url=https://foodcrumbles.com/history-of-popcorn/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=FoodCrumbles |language=en}} Finally, vendors had been selling popcorn on the streets of large cities as early as the 1860s.{{Cite web |last=Geiling |first=Natasha |title=Why Do We Eat Popcorn at the Movies? |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-do-we-eat-popcorn-at-the-movies-475063/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=Smithsonian Magazine |language=en}}

The Popcorn Crisis of 1917 is likely a distortion of the true story of how popcorn appeared in movie theatres. What actually happened is that rather than corn being scarce because of riots, the supply lines for WWI made it one of the only foods available.{{Cite web |title=The History of Popcorn: How One Grain Became a Staple Snack |url=https://www.seriouseats.com/popcorn-history-movie-theaters |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=Serious Eats |language=en}} So, popcorn vendors started popping up in smaller towns all across the country, and eventually movie theatres let them sell their products inside the theatres for a daily fee. Eventually, movie theatres started selling the popcorn themselves, leading to the popcorn tradition we still celebrate today.{{Cite web |last=Wallace |first=Alicia |date=2024-05-25 |title=Here's why we eat popcorn at the movies {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/25/business/why-do-we-eat-popcorn-at-the-movies/index.html |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=CNN |language=en}}

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