Charles Goodyear Makes an Accidental Discovery

by Marcia Amidon Lusted

IT’S HARD TO imagine a car that doesn’t have rubber tires. But without the discoveries of Charles Goodyear, we wouldn’t have them. Before Charles Goodyear began experimenting with rubber, it was known only as a sticky substance that came from the sap of the rubber tree. In cold weather, it was brittle. In hot weather, it melted into a gooey, soft mess. Goodyear knew that there had to be a way to make rubber useful, but how? In 1834, Goodyear began experimenting, but nothing worked. Finally, in 1844, he had a lucky accident. He had started adding sulfur to the rubber. One day, a fistful of sticky, gummy rubber landed on a hot stove. Part of the charred rubber was dry and springy. This was the first example of weatherproof…

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Spider Magazine Stories, Games, Activites And Puzzles For Children And Kids (Digital) - 1 Issue, July/August 2023

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