fact 79: Who invented the christmas cracker in England?

fact 79: who invented the Christmas cracker in England?

The first Christmas cracker was invented by Tom Smith.

Tom Smith born on 18 October 1823 an died on 13 March 1869.

Tom Smith's shop was set up in the 1840s, Tom Smith first started mainly making wedding cakes, and then he went to Paris!

  

Tom Smith first got the idea when he saw a  sweet that was invented in France by sweet makers (confectioners) it was basically a chocolate-covered sugared almond wrapped in tissue paper this was called a bon bon.

Thomas Smith saw one of these when he went to France (Paris) and decided to do the same thing in 1847 because he was a Baker and confectionery shop in London Goswell Road, Clerkenwell Road.

The bon bon became very popular at Christmas.

 Tom Smith added a little love moto inside the wrapper.  

Unfortunately, I can't find any examples of the love mottos that were used. 

Tom Smith did this to incentivize his customers to keep up year-round sales. 

The sweet was later taken out in 1860 one of the reason for this was that other companies started doing the same thing so Tom Smith decided to add a gift and a snapper.  

The first cracker as we know and would recognise was created in 1860 by Tom Smith. 

The original name for a Christmas cracker was Cosaques this is thought to be because of the Cossak soldiers who were apparently well known for riding on their horses and firing their guns into the air this is probably to do with the bang that the cracker makes when pulled.

 

Sometime in the early 1900s, Tom Smith’s Son added the hat (you have to wear it, it's a tradition)!

 By the end of 1930, Tom Smith's son had the love poems removed and replaced with a joke or a limerick.