This Day in Pop Culture for February 23

1896: The Tootsie Roll is Invented

In 1896, Leo Hirshfeld, an Austrian immigrant, started his candy business in New York City. He wanted to create a candy that was chocolately, chewy and could withstand heat. On this day in 1896, he created the Tootsie Roll that he named after his daughter, Clara “Tootsie” Hirschfeld. In 1931, the Tootsie Pop was created and became a standard part of American soldiers’ rations since the pop could withstand just about anything. Today, Tootsie Roll Industries is one of the largest candy companies in the world producing about 64 million Tootsie Rolls every day and with the same recipe as it was in 1896! (Image: Wikimedia)

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