biography
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1800–60)
|
| biography:
| Inventor, born in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. He followed his father into the hardware business but went bankrupt in 1830, and remained in arrears for the rest of his life, spending time in prison for debt more than once. He began experimenting with rubber in 1834, persevering despite poverty and ridicule. By 1844 he had patented a process (vulcanization) to prevent India rubber from melting in heat; he discovered it by accident (1839), when he dropped a chunk of rubber and sulphur mixture onto a hot stove and, although charred, it did not melt. He foresaw many applications for vulcanized rubber, but never its use for tyres. Although he received patents and honours in Europe, he spent any profits on defending his patent rights, and he left more than $200 000 in debts when he died. |
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