Bizzare Facts

The colorful, candy-coated chocolates we know as **M&M's** are a staple of movie theaters and snack bowls, but their name hides a story of a wartime business partnership. The candy was created in 1941, just as the United States was entering World War II. The inventor, **Forrest Mars, Sr.** (son of the Mars Company founder), wanted to create a chocolate that wouldn't melt in soldiers' pockets.

However, due to wartime rationing, chocolate was scarce. To get the resources he needed, Mars partnered with **Bruce Murrie**, the son of William Murrie, the president of the Hershey Company. Hershey had control over the rationed chocolate supply. In exchange for the raw materials, Mars gave Murrie a 20% stake in the new product. They named the candy using their initials: **Mars & Murrie**.

The partnership didn't last long—Mars bought Murrie out a few years later to take full control—but the name stuck. So, every time you eat an M&M, you are eating a piece of history that represents a temporary alliance between the two biggest giants of the American candy industry.