Today we celebrate Popcorn Day. This day is observed annually on January 19th.
Popcorn is one of America’s favorite snacks when watching movies at home or at the movie house, or at picnics or some sporting events. Traditions differ as to whether popcorn is consumed as a hearty snack food with sale and butter or as a sweet snack food with caramelized sugar.
During the 1800s popcorn was eaten as a breakfast cereal consumed by Americans and generally consisted of popcorn with milk and a sweetener. Popcorn balls were hugely popular around the turn of the 20th century, and are still being served in some places as traditional Halloween treat. Cracker Jack is a popular commercial product that consists of peanuts mixed in with the caramel-covered popcorn.
Kettle corn is a variation of normal popcorn, cooked with white sugar and salt, cooked traditionally in a large copper kettle, hence the name. Kettle corn has recently become popular especially in the microwave popcorn market. Microwaveable popcorn represents a special case since it is designed to be cooked along with its various flavoring agents.
Nowadays, popcorn is everywhere. Different variety of popcorn can be found in supermarkets packaged in cans as made as gifts during the holiday and you find different flavors, from buttered popcorn, chocolate drizzled popcorn or caramel drizzled popcorns. You can also find popcorn seasoning in the market if you’re into sprinkling flavor options.
On the latest trend for dieters, they cook popcorn in the comfort of their home and just flavor it with garlic powder or with some nutritional yeast. Popcorn will not make you feel full, but it is an easy snack when you’re on a diet.
So, today, celebrate this day by eating some of your favorite popcorn flavors. Share on social media your favorite type of popcorn using #PopcornDay.
1966 Indira Gandhi becomes Indian prime minister
Following the death of Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi becomes head of the Congress Party and thus prime minister of India. She was India’s first female head of government and by the time of her assassination in 1984 was one of its most controversial.
Gandhi was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of the independent Republic of India. She became a national political figure in 1955, when she was elected to the executive body of the Congress Party. In 1959, she served as president of the party and in 1964 was appointed to an important post in Lal Bahadur Shastri’s ruling government. Soon after becoming prime minister, Gandhi was challenged by the right-wing of the Congress Party, and in the 1967 election, she won only a narrow victory and thus had to rule with a deputy prime minister.
In 1971, she won a resounding reelection victory over the opposition and became the undisputed leader of India. That year, she ordered India’s invasion of Pakistan in support of the creation of Bangladesh, which won her greater popularity and led her New Congress Party to a landslide victory in national elections in 1972.
(excerpted from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/indira-gandhi-becomes-indian-prime-minister)
