Public reports that have shaped American fears about poisoned Halloween candy trace back to a February 1974 incident that is widely cited as the earliest recorded case of a child harmed by candy taken from another home. On February 13, 1974, the St. Petersburg Times (Florida) published a story about a 5-year-old boy, Timothy O’Bryan (often cited as “Timmy”), who died after consuming candy containing cyanide that had been given to him on Halloween 1974. That particular fatality actually occurred later in 1974 (October) and is frequently—but sometimes confusingly—referenced when discussing early cases and the emergence of public alarm. The February 13, 1974 date more generally corresponds to early media attention that year to isolated reports of suspicious or tampered treats, which together contributed to rising public concern ahead of Halloween. Historical context Prior to the 1970s, incidents of intentional mass candy poisoning were essentially unknown in the United States. Trick-or-treating was a growing cultural practice after World War II, and by the 1960s–70s more households participated. As media coverage increased, isolated reports of contaminated or suspicious food items began to receive wider attention. The 1970s saw several high-profile cases and scares that fused legitimate child-safety concerns with sensational reporting. Key incidents and public reaction The timeline of notable early incidents is often conflated. In October 1970s reporting, local newspapers printed stories about children finding tampered treats or suffering gastrointestinal upset after eating sweets. The most consequential and well-documented criminal case occurred in October 1974, when five-year-old Timothy O’Bryan of Pasadena, Texas, died after eating Pixy Stix laced with cyanide; his death led investigators to conclude that his father had poisoned the candy in a murder-for-insurance plot. That case received national media attention and significantly shaped perceptions of deliberate Halloween candy poisoning. Earlier in 1974, various local papers—reflecting parental anxieties and isolated incidents—ran accounts of suspicious candy, strangers distributing treats, or children falling ill after eating sweets. Those accounts, combined with later confirmed cases like the O’Bryan murder, fed a growing narrative that Halloween candy posed a widespread, deliberate danger to children. In reality, documented cases of strangers deliberately poisoning Halloween candy have been extremely rare; many illnesses attributed to tampered candy traced to unintentional contamination, preexisting medical conditions, or misattributed causes. Legacy and myth-making The cumulative effect of 1970s reporting was to institutionalize a fear of stranger-danger associated with Halloween treats. Safety advice—such as inspecting candy, cutting open suspicious items, and restricting homemade treats—became commonplace. Scholars and journalists who later examined the history noted that while at least one highly publicized criminal poisoning occurred in 1974 (the Timothy O’Bryan case), many other alleged incidents lacked clear evidence of intentional tampering by strangers. Importance of precise sourcing Accounts that assert a single “first” recorded poisoned-Halloween-candy incident must be read carefully: dates and events in circulation are sometimes conflated or misdated. The fall of 1974 includes the first widely publicized fatal poisoning associated with Halloween candy (the O’Bryan case), while earlier 1974 news stories helped set the stage for heightened concern. Researchers and writers should rely on contemporaneous newspaper archives, police records, and later investigative reporting to distinguish confirmed criminal acts from rumor and anecdote. Conclusion The 1970s, and especially 1974, mark the period when Americans first widely perceived Halloween candy as a potential vehicle for intentional harm—largely through media coverage and a small number of confirmed incidents. While the idea of widespread, deliberate candy-poisoning by strangers remains largely unsupported by evidence, the events and reporting of 1974 were pivotal in creating the modern cultural anxiety around Halloween treats.