Every year on February 14th, millions of people celebrate Valentine’s Day. The custom is believed to have started when Saint Valentine was martyred in 270. In the years and centuries following, Valentine’s Day, the day of love, has been celebrated by exchanging cards, flowers and especially candy!

While the exact date that some candy was first produced may be unknown, we take a fun look at some of our favorite Valentine’s sweets and the year they were first marketed.

1861 - The world’s first heart shaped Valentine’s Day candy box was created by Richard Cadbury, co-owner of Cadbury Brothers.

1866 - The Valentine’s Day favorite Sweethearts or Conversation Hearts were invented by Daniel Chase.

1896 - The first Tootsie Roll was made.

February 9, 1900 - The Milk Chocolate Hershey bar was first introduced.

1904 - Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Chocolate bar was first produced.

July 1, 1907 - Hershey Kisses were first produced. (They received their paper streamer in 1921.)

1908 - The Hershey Bar added almonds! The Toblerone chocolate bar was also introduced this year.

1912 - Whitman’s Samplers were introduced.

1917 - The Clark Bar was first produced.

1920 - The Babe Ruth candy bar was introduced. It was named after President Grover Cleveland’s daughter.

1921 - The Mounds Bar was introduced.

1923 - The popular Butterfinger and Milky Way candy bars were first produced this year.

1925 - Mr. Goodbar, the chocolate and peanut candy bar, was first introduced.

1926 - Milk Duds were introduced.

1928 - The chocolate covered Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were introduced this year.

1930 - The Snickers Bar is introduced.

1931 - Tootsie Roll Pops were first produced.

1932 - The 3 Musketeers candy bar was first produced. The Heath Bar and Red Hots also made their first appearances this year.

September 1935 - Rowntree’s Chocolate Crisp was first introduced. It would later be known as the Kit Kat bar.

1936 - The 5th Avenue candy bar was introduced. The Mars Bar was also first produced this year.

1938 - Hershey’s Krackle bar was introduced this year as was Nestle’s Crunch chocolate bar.

1941 - Plain M&M’s were first introduced. They’ve been “melting in our mouths and not in our hands” ever since.

1945 - Junior Mints were first produced. The chocolate covered mints have been a favorite especially with moviegoers since then.

1947 - The Almond Joy candy bar was introduced.

1949 - The candy known as Smarties was introduced.

1954 - M&M’s with peanuts were introduced.

1963 - Sweetarts were first introduced.

1978 - The peanut butter covered candies Reese’s Pieces were introduced.

1979 - TWIX candy bars were introduced.

1990 - Hershey Kisses with an almond center were introduced.

Do you have a favorite Valentine’s Day candy? Let us know in the Today In History Forum!

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