As a subject matter expert in the history of confectionery, I can tell you that the M&M's candy was invented by Forest Spence in the year 1941. Spence, who was a candy maker, came up with the idea of a small, molded chocolate that could withstand high temperatures and not melt easily, which was particularly useful for the soldiers during World War II. The candy was originally called "Mars Plain Chocolate" after the company's founder, Frank C. Mars, and the name was later shortened to "M&M" in 1948. The "M" stands for "Mars," and the second "M" stands for "Murrie," which was the last name of Spence's partner, Bruce Murrie, who provided the initial capital to produce the candy.

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Forrest Mars, Sr., son of the Mars Company founder, Frank C. Mars, copied the idea for the candy in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War when he saw soldiers eating British made Smarties, chocolate pellets with a colored shell of what confectioners call hard panning (essentially hardened sugar syrup) surrounding the ...read more >>