The inventor of cotton candy was actually a dentist. In 1897, William Morrison, a dentist from Tennessee, and his partner devised the machine that turned sugar into cotton-like strands. It was originally known as "fairy floss," which makes a lot more sense when you know the profession of the guy who made it. Milky Way bars aren't named that as an homage to our galaxy, or as a reference to the creamy milk chocolate you can find in one. They were originally invented in the '20s to mimic the flavor of a malted milkshake, which were very popular in the 20th century. If you're looking for the answer to the age-old question "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?", well, there are a couple front-runners. Licking machines, which yes, are a real thing, take anywhere from 364 to 411 licks to get to the center. Human lickers, and I'm so sorry to have said it that way, average much less, anywhere from 144 to 252 licks.