H.B. Reese, who developed the famous Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, was born on May 24, 1879, in York County, Pennsylvania. The surprising layer to his confectionery success is that the peanut butter cup was born out of sheer financial desperation and a lack of job security. Before he became a candy pioneer, Reese worked as a humble dairy farmer for Milton Hershey’s company management team. Inspired by the massive success of the Hershey chocolate empire, Reese began experimenting with candy recipes in his own basement using a makeshift table to feed his sixteen children. His breakthrough came when he realized that roasting peanuts to a precise degree created a distinct paste that blended perfectly with Hershey’s chocolate coating, starting a competing empire using his former employer’s bulk ingredients.