Nothing better to chew on than a good stick of gum. There are many stories about the advantages of chewing gum, like health and so on.

But where did gum get it's start? How long has it been around? Let's answer that.

Chewing Gum was patented back in 1869 by William Semple. Modern chewing gum was invented when "chicle," a latex sap much like rubber, was brought to the U.S.

 

In 1870, the first flavored gum, Black Jack, was manufactured. William Wrigley Jr. was selling Spearmint and Juicy Fruit by 1893. Chiclets and gumballs came in the early 1900s.

Walter Diemer invented Dubble Bubble bubble gum in 1928. After World War II, chemists learned how to make artificial gum bases to use instead of chicle.

Source: Radio Online

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