The man who invented Goodyear Tires was Charles Goodyear – an American self-taught chemist.
In the late 19th century the rubber industry was suffering, as the demands for it were huge but it was difficult to maintain. During the so-called rubber boom, tons of raw material was imported from South America. However, in those days technology was not developed enough to allow the production of durable rubber – it melted in summer and froze in winter.
Fortunately, Charles Goodyear accidentally discovered vulcanization, after committing a great part of his life searching for a solution. Essentially, he invented Goodyear Tires in 1839 by mixing some acid with rubber on a hot stove. As he tried to scrape it off, Goodyear noticed it was hard and firm yet quite elastic.
It was the process of vulcanization, when the rubber is made longer-lasting and fit for purpose, by being processed using heat and sulphur. The man wasn’t honored for his discovery, though, as the patent was bought by Thomas Hancock – an English inventor and the father of the British rubber industry – when he heard about the idea.
The Life of the Man Who Invented Goodyear Tires
Charles Goodyear lived in poverty almost all his life and was a frequent guest in debtors’ prisons. There he started his experiments, in 1834, by mixing rubber samples with magnesium to make it less sticky. The technique didn’t work, as he and his family tried to make shoes from it, but the products melted when summer came. After dozens of unsuccessful attempts, he accidentally invented Goodyear Tires, and spent the following five years improving his technology.
Charles Goodyear obtained the American patent of his discovery on June 15, 1844. In the mid-50s he came to Europe, and found out that Thomas Hancock claimed he discovered the same approach at the same time independently in Britain. Goodyear had to spend some time in court, defending his invention. He didn’t win the case, but managed to obtain 60 patents for the usage of his technology in different products, like syringes, shoes, and diaphragms.
The talented chemist who invented Goodyear Tires didn’t get much from his invention and died leaving about $200,000 debt to his family. The money from the patents he obtained reached his wife and children years after his death.
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
The actual Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company was founded by Frank A. Seiberling in Ohio (in the US) in 1898. The name of the man who invented Goodyear Tires was eventually honored that year. Mr. Goodyear, unfortunately, didn’t witness the establishment of the company named by him, as he passed away in 1860 at the age of 60.
The timing of the company establishment was great – bicycles were gaining crazy popularity and the financial crisis was fading. So, the company rapidly elevated to the TOP-5 of major tire and rubber manufacturers and gained the title of the world’s largest company twice (1916, 1999).