National Candy Day: The Sweet Treat Americans Love to Eat

One of the sweetest days in the entire year is here. It’s time to get your sweet tooth on, folks. Nov. 4 is National Candy Day in the U.S.A! Sweet!

While the origins of this food holiday are unknown, now is the perfect day to satisfy that sugar craving. Whether you prefer rich and creamy chocolate, ooey gooey caramel, colorful jelly beans or jaw-breaking jaw breaker candies, folks have been indulging in these sweet treats for centuries.

In honor of National Candy Day, check out these sweet candy facts:

• Americans eat about 22 pounds of candy per person per year - now that's a lot of candy! And believe it or not, 65 percent of candy is eaten by adults – not kids!

• According to a study, candy lovers may have decreased risk factors for cardiovascular disease and weigh less than those who do not indulge their sweet tooth.

• M & Ms are the best-selling candy. Do you know what the name stands for? (Mars and Murrie – the two men who launched the candy.)

• It takes almost 400 licks to get to the best part of a Tootsie Pop. Engineering students at Purdue designed a licking machine and discovered it takes, on average, 364 licks to get to the center.

• A dentist invented Cotton Candy. William James Morrison, who was also a lawyer and author of children's books, patented numerous inventions in his lifetime.

• Did you know that most of the candy forest in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was real, honest-to-goodness chocolate? The director wanted the set to be as realistic as possible.

• Bet you didn't know this. The Snickers candy bar was named after a horse.

Nov. 4 is also Use Your Common Sense Day. Just sayin'!