Bizzare Facts

The sugary, cavity-inducing treat we know as **cotton candy** has an ironic origin story: it was co-invented by a dentist. In **1897**, dentist **William Morrison** and confectioner John C. Wharton designed an electric machine that melted sugar and used centrifugal force to spin it through tiny holes, creating fine, fluffy threads that resembled cotton.

They debuted their creation, originally called **'Fairy Floss,'** at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. It was a massive hit, selling over 68,000 boxes despite a relatively high price tag (25 cents, which was half the price of admission to the fair). The irony of a dentist popularizing pure sugar is not lost on historians, but Morrison likely understood that job security comes in many forms—even in the form of pink, fluffy clouds of potential tooth decay.

The name 'cotton candy' didn't actually come about until the 1920s, when another dentist, Josef Lascaux, tried to improve the machine and rebranded the treat. So, the next time you eat a bag of spun sugar at a carnival, remember that you have two dentists to thank for the experience—and for the subsequent cavity.