(FORTUNE Small Business) – Popcorn at the movies is such a fixture of American life that it's hard to imagine anyone had to invent the concept. But in 1930, Samuel Rubin, then 12 years old, toted bags of popcorn to New York City theaters for the first time. His product allowed owners to recoup revenues they lost when they had to reduce ticket prices to attract viewers during the Great Depression. Later Rubin's concession company, ABC Consolidated, introduced modern popcorn machines that reduced fire hazards and won contracts with major theater chains such as Brandt, Loew's, and RKO. On Feb. 5, at age 85 , "Sam the Popcorn Man" died in Boynton Beach, Fla. -- N.S.