Charles Goodyear was born on December 29, 1800, in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. During his youth, he was interested in finding a way to treat Indian rubber so that it would no longer be sticky and less susceptible to extreme temperatures. He developed a method involving nitric acid treatment of rubber, which helped him win a government contract in 1837 to manufacture mailbags. However, the rubber material began to deteriorate when exposed to high temperatures.

Charles Goodyear experimented with different methods to solve the problem of rubber being too sticky. He eventually discovered vulcanization by using Nathaniel M. Hayward's process, which involved treating rubber with sulphur to make it less sticky. Hayward was a former employee of a rubber factory in Roxbury, Massachusetts that Goodyear had worked with. In 1839, Goodyear accidentally dropped some Indian rubber mixed with sulphur on a hot stove, which led to his discovery of the vulcanization process. Vulcanized rubber proved to be more durable and less sticky due to the addition of sulphur and heat.

Charles Goodyear received a patent for his invention in 1844, which was a significant achievement. However, he had to face numerous legal battles to defend his patent. Meanwhile, a process using only sulphur and steam was developed in England, which many considered superior to Goodyear's vulcanization process. In 1851, he attempted to establish factories with his new-found vulcanization process in England, but he was unsuccessful in his efforts due to technical and legal challenges that eventually led to the loss of his patent rights in both England and France. Although his invention proved to be very lucrative for others, Goodyear himself never made any money from his patent.

Charles Goodyear was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in February 1976. To clarify, he did not own the famous Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Companies; they were named in his honour after his death as a tribute to his contributions to the rubber industry. In 1941, the American Chemical Society (ACS) Rubber Division established the Charles Goodyear Award to recognize inventors, innovators, and developers who have significantly impacted the nature of the rubber industry. The award includes a gold medal, a framed certificate, and prize money. Additionally, an elementary school in Woburn, Massachusetts, has been named in his honour.

Charles Goodyear was imprisoned for debt in Paris in December 1855. He wrote a two-volume account of his discovery called "Gum-Elastic and Its Varieties" (1853-55). Goodyear passed away on July 1, 1860, in New York City. However, his legacy continues to live on in modern rubber industries worldwide.

“I am not disposed to complain that I have planted and others have gathered the fruits.” - Charles Goodyear

REFERENCE

Information from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Goodyear, https://interestingengineering.com/culture/charles-goodyear-the-father-of-vulcanization, https://www.customrubbercorp.com/blog/October-2022/Who-Invented-Rubber and was used in this story