Frank C. Mars, who built a candy empire that's satisfied many a child's sweet tooth, learned from his mother at an early age how to make hand-dipped chocolates. In 1923, Mars introduced his first candy bar, the Milky Way, which was an instant success. By that time, Mars and his wife Ethel had divorced, and though their oldest son Forrest wasn't close to his father, he nevertheless inherited a knack for chocolate. In 1941, Forrest Mars filed a patent for M&Ms, which he developed in partnership with the chocolate giant Hershey. After the elder Mars died, Forrest merged his business with his late father's, effectively creating a global candy empire. (Stephen Chernin/Getty Images)