In what year was the Christmas cracker invented?

The Christmas cracker was invented in 1847.

London confectioner Tom Smith is traditionally credited with creating the cracker in 1847. Smith originally sold bon-bon sweets wrapped in twisted paper, then experimented with adding romantic messages inside. After hearing the crackle of a log on a fire, he developed the snapping friction mechanism that gave the product its name.

The early item was marketed as the “Cosaque,” after the Cossacks, but “cracker” soon became the familiar term. The sweet was eventually replaced by a small gift or trinket, allowing the wrapper to become larger and noisier.

Several features associated with modern crackers were added later by Tom Smith’s son Walter, including paper hats, jokes, and more varied gifts. A cracker is therefore not simply a wrapped present: two people pull its ends apart, breaking a chemically treated card strip and producing the characteristic pop.