| Conversation hearts — also known as Necco hearts, candy hearts, or Sweethearts — are considered Valentine's Day iconography, but their origins are far from romantic. In fact, they were originally created by a pharmacist who got his start making medical lozenges. In 1847, pharmacist Oliver Chase was working on building his lozenge business after making his way from England to Boston. The production process was slow: Chase hand-rolled ropes of dough made from peppermint, brown sugar, and gum arabic and cut them into individual tablets; he then sold them to apothecaries where customers sought them out for sore throats, coughs, and other minor ailments. To speed things up, the enterprising Chase invented a machine that cut the lozenges mechanically. Recognizing the potential, he shifted focus from medicine to confections, founding what became the New England Confectionery Company, or Necco, and introducing its namesake candy, the Necco Wafer. It was still a while before the colorful, chalky candy became heart-shaped and adorned with their trademark messages, though. In 1866, Oliver's brother Daniel Chase devised a way to press words onto the round candy wafers using a felt roller pad and red vegetable dye. The conversation candies — or motto lozenges, as they were known — were shaped into baseballs, horseshoes, and kites, and featured much more elaborate messages than those we see today, including "Married in white, you have chosen right," and "How long shall I have to wait? Please be considerate." In 1902, the candies took on their now-famous heart shape, and the phrases evolved into classics such as "Be Mine" and "Kiss Me." Each year, about 80 different sayings circulate, including around 20 that are new for that holiday season. | 
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