A Short, Sweet Timeline

• 1854 - The first packaged box of Whitman's chocolate debuts.
• 1868 - Richard Cadbury introduces the first Valentine's Day box of chocolates.
• 1880s - Wunderke Candy Company creates candy corn. In 1898, Goelitz Confectionary Company began making candy corn and has made this Halloween favorite longer than any other company.
• 1893 - William Wrigley, Jr. introduces Juicy Fruit gum and Wrigley's Spearmint gum.
• 1896 - Tootsie Rolls debut, introduced by Leo Hirshfield of New York who named them after his daughter's nickname, "Tootsie."

• 1900 - Milton S. Hershey of Lancaster, PA introduces the first Hershey milk chocolate bar.
• 1902 - Necco makes the first conversation hearts - tiny Valentine's Day favorites with messages printed on them.
• 1906 - Hershey's Kisses chocolates appear in their familiar foil wraps.
• 1912 - Life Savers, the candy named for its ring shape with the hole in the center, is introduced in peppermint flavor. It would be 22 years before the popular five-flavor roll is introduced.
• 1920 - The Babe Ruth candy bar is first sold, named for President Grover Cleveland's daughter - not the famous baseball player.
• 1923 - M&M/Mars Milky Way Bar is the first of many candies to be introduced by the Mars family, created to taste like a malted milk that would be available anywhere, any time.
• 1928 - Reeces Peanut Butter Cups, named for the man who created them, are a peanut butter-chocolate combination, still among the most popular candy bars today.
• 1930 - M&M/Mars introduces the Snickers Bar, named for a favorite horse owned by the Mars family. It is the number-one selling candy bar in the U.S. today.
• 1931 - Tootsie Roll Pops are introduced and soon widely advertised as the lollipop that offers two candies in one, hard candy on the outside and chewy Tootsie Roll center inside.
• 1941 - "M&M's" Plain Chocolate Candies are introduced in response to slack chocolate sales in the summer. Fifty-nine years later, M&M/Mars changed the name of this popular candy item to "M&M's"Milk Chocolate Candies.
• 1942 to 1945 - Women working on the Whitman's Sampler production line secretly slipped notes to soldiers in those boxes destined for military shipment. The notes resulted in several long-term friendships and even a few marriages.
• 1949 - Smarties small pastel candy disks are introduced followed by the Smarties Necklace nine years later.
• 1954 - Marshmallow Peeps are introduced by Just Born, Inc. in the shape of Easter chicks. Today, Peeps come in a variety of seasonal shapes and more than 2 million Peeps are made each day.
• 1960 - M&M/Mars Starburst Fruit Chews are introduced and later fortified with 50 percent of the daily value for Vitamin C.
• 1963 - Sweet Tarts, the candy pellets with the original sweet and tart flavor combination are introduced.
• 1976 - Introduced by Herman Goelitz Candy Company, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans offer consumers fun and unique flavors in a tiny jellybean.
• 1978 - Hershey's Reece's Pieces bite-size candies are introduced and four years later made popular by the blockbuster movie E.T.
• 1979 - TWIX Caramel Cookie Bars introduced in the U.S. by M&M/Mars.
• 1980 - Goelitz introduces the first American-made gummy bears and gummy worms. Formerly, these candies were imported from Europe.
• 1992 - DOVE Dark Chocolate Bar and DOVE Milk Chocolate Bar are introduced nationally by M&M/Mars.
• 1994 - STARBURST Jellybeans introduced by M&M/Mars.
• 1998 - Holopops become the first hologram lollipops introduced by Light Vision Confections. The design on their etched surface appears to change as you move the pop.

Information courtesy of CandyFavorites.com