Charles Goodyear

29 December 1800 – 1 July 1860

Charles Goodyear (1800-1860) was an American self-taught chemist and manufacturer who developed vulcanized rubber. After years of poverty and experimentation he discovered that heating rubber with sulfur made it durable and weatherproof, a process he patented in 1844.

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Life events

Born in New Haven, Connecticut
29 December 1800

Charles Goodyear was born the son of Amasa Goodyear, an inventor and hardware manufacturer.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Joined the hardware business in Philadelphia
1816

Goodyear worked in a hardware store in Philadelphia before returning to partner in his father's hardware business.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Married Clarissa Beecher
August 1824

Goodyear married Clarissa Beecher, who supported him through years of financial hardship during his rubber experiments.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Began experimenting with india rubber
c. 1834

After visiting the Roxbury India Rubber Company's store in New York, Goodyear became obsessed with finding a way to make rubber stable.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Discovered the vulcanization of rubber
1839

In Woburn, Massachusetts, Goodyear found that rubber mixed with sulfur and exposed to heat became durable, the key discovery behind vulcanization.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
Achievement ✓
Received a U.S. patent for vulcanized rubber
15 June 1844

Goodyear was granted U.S. Patent 3,633 for his process of curing rubber with sulfur and heat.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Won the 'Great India Rubber Case' against Horace Day
1852

Represented by Daniel Webster, Goodyear prevailed in a landmark patent-infringement suit that upheld his vulcanization patent.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Exhibited rubber goods in Europe and was awarded the Legion of Honour
1855

Goodyear mounted lavish rubber displays at the London and Paris expositions; Napoleon III awarded him the Cross of the Legion of Honour while he sat in a Paris debtors' prison.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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Died in New York City
1 July 1860

Goodyear collapsed and died in New York while travelling to his dying daughter, leaving substantial debts despite his invention's success.

Source: en.wikipedia.org
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