Content
Skip to Main ContentAccessibility Help
Under the Influence

Cool Etymologies: How terms like "blockbuster" started on ice

Ice touches countless areas of our lives – our food, our drinks, our sports. But what about movie theatres? The unexpected history of ice is denser than you may think.
CBC Radio ·
A temperature of –10 C is considered ideal, but the mercury rose to roughly 0 C Thursday, meaning competitors had to give their ice stacks more time than usual to set. (Monty Kruger/CBC)
Under the Influence27:26The Iceman Cometh: How Ice Transformed Our Lives

Ice is such a basic part of our lives, we rarely give it a second thought.

Even though the use of year-round ice is relatively new, it has created endless industries, products and brands, and has created entire marketing categories. In North America alone, we use over 360 billion pounds of ice – per year.

As with any perishable commodity, time is the enemy.

In the mid-1800's the ice industry was flourishing, and the world started to change. Items like seafood could now be packed in ice and shipped to distant cities. Fruits and vegetables could be ice-packed and transported long distances. As a result, scurvy was virtually eliminated.

Breweries welcomed ice, as it allowed for year-round brewing for the first time.

Ice also allowed for apples to be shipped far and wide, and because even the poor could afford apples, they used apples to bake everything from pies and pastries to breads. Apples became so prevalent in the U.S., the phrase, "As American as apple pie" was born.

In theatres, huge ice blocks were placed in front of large fans to cool the audiences. When the shows were popular in packed auditoriums, the fans worked harder, and the ice blocks melted faster. This inspired critics to call hit shows, "block busters."

For more stories about How Ice Transformed Our Lives, click or tap the play button above to hear the full episode of Under the Influence. Find more episodes on the CBC Listen app or subscribe to the podcast.