Thomas Adams (chewing gum maker)

An advertisement of Adams chewing gum

Thomas Adams (May 4, 1818 – February 7, 1905),[1] was a 19th-century American scientist and inventor who is regarded as a founder of the chewing gum industry. He eventually joined with well-known chewing gum maker William Wrigley, Jr.

Adams conceived the idea while working as a secretary to former Mexican leader Antonio López de Santa Anna. Santa Anna chewed a natural gum called chicle.[2] Adams first tried to formulate the gum into a rubber suitable for tires. When that didn't work he made the chicle into a chewing gum called Chiclets, which is still produced today.[3]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=59373693&PIpi=37338138
  2. ↑ http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9A06E6D7163DE733A2575BC0A9649C946497D6CF
  3. ↑ "Staten Island on the Web: Famous Staten Islanders". New York Public Library. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009.