M&M’s, the beloved chocolate candies have been to war and space and back again, and for more than ten years, the red ones went missing in action.

M&M’s were introduced in 1941 and since then have had a profound impact on American popular culture. They had a beginning as snacks for the soldiers during World War II and were aboard in the first space mission of NASA. There is a lot that you probably still don’t know about the candy. Here are a few colorful facts to snack on!

Inspiration was drawn during the Spanish Civil War

Forrest Mars Sr., son of the Mars candy company founder, had a fallout with his father and business partner in 1932 and moved to England, where he began manufacturing Mars bars for the military troops. During the Spanish Civil War, Mars encountered British volunteers eating small beads of chocolate encased in a hard sugar-coated shell, which prevented melting. This idea inspired Mars to develop a product that would be able to resist melting even in the high temperatures of the summer months. In 1941, Mars began producing the candies in a factory and patented them.

The two  M’s stand for “Mars” and “Murrie”

After returning to the United States, Mars approached Bruce Murrie, the son of Hershey executive William Murrie to partner with him in a new business venture. Murrie turned out to be a strategic ally for Mars since Hershey’s dominated the production of rationed chocolate during World War II. A shortage of chocolate and sugar during the war was anticipated by Mars and he sought this partnership to ensure a steady supply of resources needed to produce his new chocolate candy. Murrie received a 20% stake in the company, and for several years M&M's were produced using Hershey’s chocolate. However, in 1949 Mars bought out Murrie for $1 million and took control.

The “M”s weren’t printed on the candy at first

The candies were originally manufactured in five colors: yellow, red, orange, green, and violet. However, the signature “M” wasn’t stamped on the candies until 1950, and in black and not white.

Red M&M's disappeared for a decade

In the early ‘70s, a bombshell Russian study claimed that the red food dye amaranth caused cancer in humans. Following more studies, the FDA banned its use in 1976, erring on the side of caution the company decided to remove the red candies. However, the red food coloring in question was not actually used in M&Ms. For a decade, the now-iconic red M&M stayed on the bench and were re-introduced in 1987 after it was proven not to be carcinogenic, after all.

Sold to the U.S. military during World War II

After the U.S. joined the war, M&M’s were exclusively sold to the military, enabling the easy-to-transport and heat-resistant chocolate to be included in the ration of the American soldiers.

The first candy to go to space

The same qualities that made the candies durable wartime ration, made them ideal for space voyage too. With this, M&M’s became the first candy to rocket into space in 1981, along with the crew of NASA’s first space shuttle, Columbia.

So, did the sweet history of M&M’s fascinate you?