Midmorning With Aundrea - August 18, 2020 (Part 2)

(Part 2 of 2) As our thoughts turn to cooler things in the hot summer days, we explore the history of the Popsicle, which originally sprang from the mind of a 10 year old boy.

On these hot days of summer, you may be dreaming of something cool.

Here's a taste with nancy giles.

On a hot summer day&who doesn't like a popsicle?

But did you know, the original "popsicle" spra from the mind of a ten-year-old boy named frank epperson?

Back in 1905 on an unusually cold san francisco night kathleen epperson: 00:02:39 he had some kind of soda mix in a glass and for experimental reasons he decided to leave it out on the porch overnight.

Kathleen epperson is frank's granddaughter.

Kathleen epperson: 00:02:50 and in the morning when he came out, it was frozen solid.

And so he took it out, and that was the beginning of the popsicle.

He would have to grow up...before he pantented the idea - yes the popsicle has a patent - in 1924 kathleen epperson: 00:03:54 he called it eppsicle, epp for epperson, and sic-- sicle because it looked like an icle.

But his 4 year old son george came up with a catchier name kathleen epperson: 00:04:44 &he ran up and he put his arms around his father's leg and he said, "pop, pop, can have a sicle?

I want a popsicle."

Nancy giles: 00:05:25: oh, i love that!

Frank took his popsicles to san francisco's neptune beach&the "coney island o the west."

Kathleen epperson: 00:08:34 you know, each week it'd be a different kid going in and asking for a popsicle.

And the guy would have to say, "we don't sel popsicles."

An then after several weeks of different kids asking for popsicles, my grandfather would go in and say, "can i interes you in selling popsicles?"

Nancy giles: 00:09:01 that is marketing genius!

Then, the great depression hit and he was forced to sell all his rights for $50,000 russel lilly: 00:09:21 well, what i can tell you is that we-- we s-- we make over two billion popsicles per year-- russel lilly is a marketing director at unilever, parent company of good humor-breyers which is the latest company to make popsicles nancy giles: 00:02:55 i have here one of your magical double pops.

As a sign of the times, the double pop, introduced during the great depression, is back& nancy giles: 00:03:55 since there's no one in the room to share this with, i guess i'll have to have it myself.

Russel lilly: 00:04:00 i won't tell anybody.

Nancy giles: 00:04:02 thank you..

And creative folks are still being inspired by frank epperson's original idea khalid hamid: 10:54:17 we saw the need for it and we went for it khalid hamid and his wife shelly created island pops in crown heights, brooklyn five years ago khalid hamid: 10:54:17 everything that we do is handmade, small batch, and made with love and based on memories that we have acquired growing up in the caribbean.

Both came from trinidad&.and it was shelly's craving for the flavors of her homeland that inspired them to open this family business.

Khalid hamid: 10:54:17 we saw the need for the-- the island experience, the island authenticity.

//you know, like, a vacation in a spoon, i would say.

You know?

Nancy giles: 11:06:58 a vacation in a spoon.

It really does take you away.

Ahhh, a vacation, and these days, isn't that what we all we want?

Nancy giles: 11:35:43 i don't know what else to say.

Let's turn on the music and start dancing.

Khalid hamid: 11:35:46 when you see the heart-stopping video, it's hard to believe it's not a video, it's hard to believe it's not a movie.

A man in a wheelchair is stuck on the train tracks.

A train is barreling at him.

Without a second to spare - a hero police officer leaps into action.

Mola lenghi has the incredible story.

At busy railroad crossing in in lodi, california,& officer erica urrea knew something was out of place... sot officer urrea&.as i was passing tracks.

Officer errea: saw the gentleman on the tracks sitting in his wheelchairand it looked like he was kind of wiggling like he was stuck her body camera shows that as she approached&.a train was also approaching, and the man in the wheelchair could not get away sot officer erica urrea: officer errea: it seemed like it was the rear wheel.//it was actually in the in the in the track.

Officer errea: and as i was running towards him.

I was checking the train tracks the train was coming fast,... she had only 7 seconds, the video shows, to get to him& mola lenghi: this whole thing happened in a matter of seconds.

Right.

Officer errea: yes, yes.

The 36-year-old officer, said today it was only after seeing the video, she appreciated the magnitude of what happened.

Sot officer erica urrea officer errea: yes, it's and to me, honestly, i, i don't think i did anything that was different from what my partners would have done you know the the men and women that i work with.

Officer errea: there's no doubt in my mind, they would have done the same thing.

Officer errea: it's just doing what you would like someone to do if that was your family member, you know, friend or a loved one that was stuck on the tracks.

Officer errea: now you go out there and help mola lenghi: risk your life to help the unnamed man in the wheelchair is 66-years-old..

He's in the hospital, but is expected to recover.

Mola