It was the early 1830s when rubber fever hit America. No one had ever seen anything like it. It was stretchy and waterproof and came from the mysterious jungles of South America. Everyone from New York to California wanted rubber shoes, rubber boots, and rubber jack- ets. Factories popped up to meet the rising demand and great fortunes were made. Excitement quickly turned to disappointment when the shoes, boots, and jackets froze solid in the winter and turned gooey in the summer. To make matters worse, when rubber melted, it stank. Refunds were given, factories were shut down, and fortunes were lost. And just like that, rubber fever turned into the great rubber crash of 1834. Everyone gave up on rubber — everyone except Charles Goodyear
Charles and his father owned a hardware store in Philadelphia. After years of success, their business ran into financial trouble in 1833, leaving the Goodyears in considerable debt and bank- ruptcy. This led Charles to decide to put his versatility (#19) to use and become a professional inventor. He went on to create such things as new faucets and button-making machines. But none of his creations made money, and the Goodyears stayed in debt.
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