It’s National Popcorn Day (Jan. 19)

(CNN) – For a lot of people, Friday is movie night — which is convenient because this year, it’s also National Popcorn Day — observed every year on January 19.

According to nationaldaycalendar.com, the Aztecs used popcorn in headdresses during religious ceremonies.

The sight fascinated early Spanish explorers — to them, popcorn looked like white flowers.

In the U.S., popcorn gained popularity — forgive the pun — in the mid-1800s.

Later on, candy-store owner Charles Cretors invented a machine for popping corn with steam.

By 1900, he had horse-drawn popcorn wagons deployed throughout Chicago.