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Who
Invented Chewing Gum
W.F. Semple of
Mount Vernon, Ohio, patented chewing gum in 1869.
However,
humans have been chewing various gums, resins and latex
secretions of plants for thousands of years. Mastic gum has
been chewed by Mediterranean peoples for thousands of years,
and Native Americans chewed the resin from spruce trees.
The first
commercial chewing gum, State of Maine Spruce Gum was
introduced in 1850. Made using spruce tree resin, it had a
harsh taste and tough texture. In 1871 Thomas Adams patented
chicle gum, with sugar and sassafras flavoring. It had the
right chewing properties with no harsh taste or texture, and
it caught on quickly with the American public. This was soon
followed (by other companies) with peppermint flavored gum in
1885, Chiclets (gum with a hard sugar coating in 1900, Juicy
Fruit and Spearmint flavors in 1893, and finally bubble gum in
1928.
The country
with the largest number of chewing gum manufacturers is
Turkey, with more then 60 companies manufacturing chewing gum!
The popularity of chewing gum was both helped by, and helped
spawn the development of the vending machine. The first
vending machines were used to sell chewing gum in the New York
Subways.
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