Hershey eventually discovered a profession that piqued his interest: candy-making. His future chocolate empire was paved by an 1872 apprenticeship in a confectionery shop in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Hershey, who opened his first company at the age of 19 in Philadelphia, struggled at first. Before founding the successful Lancaster Caramel Company, he made a few more attempts at candy businesses in Chicago, New Orleans, and New York.

Hershey yearned to start his own company and to create candy. Milton Hershey's borrowing of $150 from his aunt to start his first candy store in Philadelphia is an intriguing truth about him. Hershey painstakingly toiled on his shop for five years, but there was little success. To be with his father again, he ultimately closed the business and relocated to Denver, Colorado. Hershey found caramel there, and he liked it so much that he shifted his attention to making it. He tried to launch two new businesses, one in New York and one in Chicago. Both failed to succeed. The Lancaster Caramel Company he later founded was quite successful. Caramels from Hershey's were distributed worldwide.

Hershey visited the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and observed the craft of producing chocolate firsthand. While his caramel business was still in operation, Hershey decided to start a chocolate firm because he was attracted by the substance. He sold the caramel business in 1900 so he could concentrate on developing the chocolate bar. Hershey concentrated his efforts on milk chocolate at the time because it was a rare gift from Switzerland. Milton Hershey worked on a method to mass make milk chocolate and disseminate it all over the world, which is intriguing information about him.

The Hershey's Kisses were created in 1907 after Hershey built his chocolate business in 1905. The characteristic foil and tiny paper tag wouldn't be added to this legendary sweet until 1924, though. Milton Hershey started experimenting with boiled milk, sugar, and cacao beans using tools acquired at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in an effort to develop economical milk chocolate that could be mass-produced. He quickly improved his recipe, and by 1903 he had begun construction on a new factory in the town that bears his name.

The Titanic continues to maintain an uncanny sort of fascination for us decades after it perished in the North Atlantic waters. It is simple to understand why since it altered both history and transportation for all time. There were certain travelers who, had they survived, may have had a significant influence on the globe. Milton Hershey was nearly among those travelers.

According to Pam Whitenack, director of the Hershey Community Archives, Hershey was a confirmed traveler on the Titanic's tragic 1912 trip. In order to return to the United States after spending the winter of 1911 on holiday in Nice, France, he purchased a ticket on the Titanic. Hershey ended up reserving passage on the Amerika and departing Europe just four days before Titanic, according to Whitenack. It is unclear what occurred to cause him to modify his plans, however it was probably work-related since the incident wasn't recorded. (Catherine stayed behind to carry on with her abroad medical care.)

Hershey definitely intended to travel on the Titanic, and there is documentation of him paying a $300 deposit to board the ship. However, a commercial emergency spared Hershey from the Titanic catastrophe. Hershey changed his travel plans at the last minute, and it's possible that did so to save his life.

Hershey received $1,000,000 for the sale of his caramel business. He had a new discovered fortune, and he could have done anything. Hershey made the decision to use his riches to give back to his community rather than erect a massive house or live the high life. He constructed houses, a trolley system, parks, schools, churches, and recreational facilities in the community that surrounded his business and became known as Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Hershey and his wife, who were unable to have children, made it a priority to assist local children. Hershey started a school and orphanage for boys in 1909, and later added a school for girls. During the Great Depression, Hershey had buildings built so that people could have jobs in construction. During World War II, Hershey sent the troops chocolate bars to boost their morale.

Milton Hershey's firm brought in a lot of cash, yet he didn't appear to be wealthy because of the way he lived. He established a fund with a large portion of his assets, including company stock, to support the several schools he founded. Even though he had a house built, it was a modest one. It was constructed in close proximity to the Hershey Company's corporate offices so that Hershey could keep an eye on the company he took such great pride in.

That is amazing! He donated almost all of his wealth to the School Trust in order to fulfill his passion of assisting others. And he didn't do it for attention, he did it quietly. It was from his heart, not for a PR stunt. What a legacy! The website goes on to say that the original funding by Hershey has grown to more than $6 billion.