Thomas Adams (chewing gum maker)

An advertisement of Adams chewing gum

Thomas Adams (May 4, 1818 – February 7, 1905) 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.[1] 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.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Thomas Adams Dead" (PDF). The New York Times. Retrieved August 14, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Staten Island on the Web: Famous Staten Islanders". New York Public Library. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009.


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