It's National Candy Day!

Sweet candy facts:

• The first commercial solid eating chocolate was produced by Fry & Sons in Bristol, England, in 1847
• M&M’s (packaged in cardboard tubes) were first manufactured for soldiers during World War II. Forrest Mars got the idea for M&M’s when he visited Spain during the Spanish Civil War and saw how soldiers kept chocolates from melting by rolling them in sugary coating.
• When peanut M&M's were first introduced in 1954, they were only available in the color brown
• Milton S. Hershey, the founder of Hershey, owned a caramel manufacturing company before he focused on chocolate
• The M's in M&M's stand for Mars & Murrie: Forrest Mars (son of Frank Mars) entered into a partnership with Bruce Murrie, son of William Murrie (president of Hershey). Hershey provided the chocolate for M&M’s.
• A Milky Way bar is known as a Mars bar in the United Kingdom

Here are some recommendations if you are looking for some candy-centric books to celebrate National Candy Day:

* For even more fascinating history behind the Mars and Hershey candy companies, and the people who started them:

	The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars by Joël Glenn Brenner 338.766 BRE Find it in the catalog!
	Hershey: Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams by Michael D'Antonio  BIOGRAPHY HERSHEY Find it in the catalog!

* If you have bags of leftover Halloween candy and would like a fun way to use it all up:

Candy Construction: How to Build Edible Race Cars, Castles, and Other Cool Stuff Out of Store-Bought Candy! by Sharon Bowers 641.86 BOW Find it in the catalog!

* If you want to take on the challenge of making your own candy:

	Field Guide to Candy: How to Identify and Make Virtually Every Candy Imaginable by Anita Chu 641.853 CHU Find it in the catalog!
	The Liddabit Sweets Candy Cookbook: How to Make Truly Scrumptious Candy in Your Own Kitchen! by Liz Gutman 641.853 GUT Find it in the catalog!

* If you want to give homemade candy as presents for the holidays:

	Sweet Christmas: Homemade Peppermints, Sugar Cake, Chocolate-Almond Toffee, Eggnog Fudge, and Other Sweet Treats and Decorations by Sharon Bowers 641.568 BOW Find it in the catalog!
	Delicious Gifts: Edible Creations to Make and Give by Jess McCloskey 641.5 MCC Find it in the catalog!