Candy makes us smile, takes us back to our childhood and tastes sweet and delicious. The concept of candy has been around for centuries, and really took its toll on America when it was first introduced in the 1850s. Before that time, sugar was a major trading import and export, and held up in value. The Whitman family brought its famous chocolate confections to drug stores in 1857, and this sparked a candy craze throughout the country. By 1868, the Cadbury family had also brought its line of yummy chocolate goodness to the table. It may also be a little known fact that things like candy corn, the Tootsie roll, and chewing gum were all introduced in the late 1800s! These were all delicious treats for children of all ages, but in 1900 the chocolate industry was taken by storm when Hershey introduced the first milk chocolate candy bar.
Over the next century, countless types of candy were introduced such as the Mars Bar, NECCO candies, the peppermint stick, Red Hots, M&Ms, and much more. While candy has certainly evolved over the years, it's important to note that its humble beginnings started in the age of prehistoric man with the discovery of honey combs. Eventually sugary sweetness such as honey combs and sugar cane became like a form of money. When cocoa was discovered in the 1500s, man's perception of flavor and taste would be changed forever. Cocoa was the beginnings of the chocolate craze. Eventually, hot chocolate became a huge hit in Europe (especially in Denmark and Switzerland) before any form of candy ever even made it over to the United States. While we all have our own favorite kind of candy, each one has an interesting and storied history that stretches back to the firm roots of mankind.