Charles Goodyear was an American
who invented the vulcanization of rubber.
Vulcanization is a process
that uses chemicals and heat to change and strengthen rubber so that it can be used to make products
such as tires and inflatable life rafts.
Goodyear was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on December
29, 1800. He had little schooling. As a young man, he worked
with his father in their hardware
store in Philadelphia. When their business
failed, Goodyear
was sent to debtors’ prison
because he could not pay his debts.
While he was in prison,
he began to think of ways to make rubber usable.
When he got out of prison, he made some rubber outer shoes, but the rubber melted
when it got warm and the shoes were ruined.
His experiments with rubber produced
a strong smell in the family’s
house. When the neighbors complained, Goodyear, his wife, and their children moved to New York City.
Goodyear had
to sell all of his family’s possessions to continue with his experiments. His family
was soon very poor, and Goodyear spent more time in debtors’ prison.
Goodyear did not give up though. He discovered that by adding
sulfur and using heat,
he could strengthen the rubber
and keep it from melting.
After five years of experimenting, he learned how much sulfur to add and the right temperature to use. The rubber could now be used in commercial products. In 1844, he received a U.S. patent for the vulcanization of rubber.
Many people tried to steal his idea and he had to go to court
several times to try to stop them. The money he spent going to court made him even poorer.
Goodyear never became
rich from his invention. He was more interested in experimenting with rubber than in making products from it. When he died in 1860, at the age of 60, he was $200,000 in debt.
