Each day, Mars Inc.'s candy division produces over four hundred million M & M's—the popular chocolate snack with the candy coating that "melts in your mouth, not in your hand." At first a wartime treat for soldiers on the go, the convenient portable sweet has become a part of daily life for candy-crazed kids and busy adults alike.

M & M's were originally packaged in paper tubes, making them easy to carry. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.

The name M & M's comes from the first letter of the last names of Forrest Mars (1904–1999) and William Murrie (1873–1950), the founders of the company that produces M & M's to this day. Mars also makes such other well-known candies as Mars Bars, Milky Way, and Skittles. However, M & M's remain its most popular product. M & M's Plain Chocolate Candies were introduced in...