When the HMS Titanic sailed on her maiden voyage in April of 1912, anyone who was anyone wanted a ticket. A trip on the huge luxury ship was to die for, especially when you could tell everyone you were on the first one. Some celebrities were even offered free passage for the publicity, but not Milton Snavely Hershey, who lost his deposit -but saved his life.
Read about other celebrities who were supposed to sail on the Titanic, but didn't for a variety of reasons, at Smithsonain. Link
The man behind the Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar, Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Syrup, and the Pennsylvania city that bears his name had spent the winter in France and planned to sail home on the Titanic. The Hershey Community Archives has in its collection a $300 check Hershey wrote to the White Star Line in December 1911, believed to be a 10 percent deposit toward his stateroom, according to archivist Tammy L. Hamilton. Fortunately for Hershey, business back home apparently intervened, and he and his wife instead caught a ship that was sailing earlier, the German liner Amerika. The Amerika would earn its own footnote in the disaster, as one of several ships to send the Titanic warnings of ice in its path.
Read about other celebrities who were supposed to sail on the Titanic, but didn't for a variety of reasons, at Smithsonain. Link
Some might view it as a "close call" but I ponder what the world would be like, if Milka or Cadbury had more leverage in the USA without the cold heartless grip of Hershey to contend with.