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John Boyd Dunlop
(http://kartshop.dunlop.de/John Boyd DUNLOP.jpg)
Samuel Pomeroy Colt
- United States Rubber (http://www.rootsweb.com/ ~rigenweb/Colt200s.jpg)
Michelin Man
(Bibendum)
- 1898 (http://www.michelinman.com/
images/ difference/ releases/Voteforbib2_080504.jpg)
Alexander T. Brown and George F. Stillman
- inflatable automobile tire
(http://www.history.com/ images/tdih/assets/1220au.jpg)
 -
Bridgestone Tire
Harvey Samuel Firestone, Jr.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/ wikipedia/ commons/4/42/
Harvey_Samuel_Firestone.jpg)
Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich
(1870.gif)
Charles Goodyear
(http://www.historychannel.com/ tdih/
images/entries/1229au.jpg)
Frank A. Seiberling - Founder of Goodyear
(http://copyexchange.org/ Seiberling_visual_history/
FA%20Seiberling-1942.jpg)
Edourd Michelin
(im_1832_edm.jpg)
Andre Michelin
(im_1832_anm.jpg)
Giovanni Battista
Pirelli (http://www.confindustria.it/
Conf2004/pict/lastoria/ presid/gb_pirelli.jpg)
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RUBBER - Business
History of Manufacturers
Interesting Dates
April 29, 1813 - Jacob Frederick Hummel, of Philadelphia, PA,
received a patent for a "Varnish of Elastic Gum to Render Water Proof";
rubber.
1820 - Thomas Hancock
invented the
"masticator", first machine specifically designed for processing of
rubber; if strongly processed (masticated), rubber became
plastic, could be made to flow, developed method of milling rubber;
supplied
Charles Macintosh with
masticated rubber
(named "Pickled" rubber)
to produce macintosh coats; 1837 - received
British patent for mastication process; November 21, 1843 -
received British patent for 'vulcanisation' process for rubber (14
patents between 1920-1847).
May 30, 1821 - James Boyd, of Boston, MA, received a
patent for a "Fire Engine Hose"; fire hose of cotton web lined with rubber (to replace
riveted leather hose which dried out, cracked, burst from excessive
pressure); improved hose - 40 to 50 feet in length, weighed more than 85
pounds with the couplings; hose oilers were developed to keep the
leather supple and pliable; 1871 - Cincinnati Fire
Department used B.F. Goodrich Company's new rubber hose
reinforced with cotton ply.
June 17, 1837 - Charles Goodyear received first patent for
"Improvement in the Process of Divesting Caothchouc, Gum-Elastic, or
Inida Rubber of Its Adhesive Properties, and also of Bleaching the Same,
and thereby Adapting It to Various Useful Purposes"; resolved to solve
problem of india-rubber's melting in summer heat; devised process to
treat India rubber with metallic solutions such as copper nitrate and
strong acid for a few minutes, followed by washing with water; process
treated rubber on the surface and below the surface to a useful
condition; patent explained method and use of water paste of quicklime
to bleach rubber for which he listed various new purposes; obtained
additional patents to revise process by using sulphur and oil of
turpentine.
March 9, 1844 - Charles Goodyear,
of New York, NY received a patent for "India-Rubber Fabric" ("Corrugated
or Shirred India-Rubber Goods...by the stretching of strips, or threads,
of india-rubber to such extent as may be desired"); received a second
patent for "Improvement in India-Rubber Fabrics";
June 15, 1844 -
Charles Goodyear received patent for "An
Improvement in India-Rubber Fabrics" -
method of treating india
rubber so that it would lose its adhesiveness and susceptibility to
extremes of heat and cold;
accidentally dropped a mixture of natural rubber and powdered sulphur on
a hot stove in Woburn, MA; heat completed the vulcanization process.
March 17, 1845 - Stephen Perry of London, owner of rubber manufacturing company Messers Perry and Co.,
received patent for the rubber
band; first made from vulcanized rubber.
December 10, 1845 - Civil engineer Robert W. Thompson
received a British patent for world's first pneumatic tires (carriage
wheels with inflated tubes of heavy rubber stretched around their rims);
became popular on horse-drawn carriages, later prevented the first
motorcar passengers from being shaken to pieces.
May 8, 1847 - Robert W. Thomson, of Adelphi,
Middlesex, England, received first U.S. patent for a "Carriage Wheel" ("improvement
in carriage wheels"); rubber tires; application of elastic bearings
around rims of carriage wheels; June 10, 1846 -
received British patent.
1869 - Dr. Benjamin Franklin Goodrich with J.P. Morris
became largest stockholder in Hudson River Rubber Company in New York
for $5,000.00 under a license agreement with Charles Goodyear;
1870 - established first rubber company west of the Allegheny
Mountains (Akron, Ohio); December 31, 1870 - began
partnership, Goodrich, Tew Company; February 19, 1871 -
began making such rubber products as fire hoses, industrial belts and
bicycle tires; March 1871 - opened Akron Rubber Works with
twenty workers; 1880 - B.F. Goodrich (Benjamin F.) Company
incorporated; September 24, 1907 - registered "Goodrich"
trademark first used January 1, 1894 (pneumatic tires made wholly or
partly of rubber or having rubber incorporated therewith); 1961 - company exited tire industry, focused
on aerospace, performance materials
1872 - Giovanni Battista Pirelli established
Pirelli SpA in Milan.
1887 - Scottish
veterinarian, John Boyd Dunlop, devised and fitted rubber air tubes held
on to a wooden ring by tacking a linen covering fixed around the wheels
(major improvement in riding comfort); December 7, 1888 -
received British patent for "An Improvement in Tyres of Wheels for
Bicycles, Tricycles or other Road Cars" (Robert William Thomson had earlier patent for "carriage wheels" with pneumatic tire, there was
little demand for it in his lifetime, was forgotten); pneumatic tire (rubber tube filled with air); 1889 - formed
Dunlop Rubber Company with William Harvey Du Cros (held 1500 shares in
the company); 1890 - commercial production began;
1896 - Dunlop sold patents to du Cros for £3000.
1887 - Colonel Samuel Pomeroy Colt appointed receiver for
bankrupt National Rubber Company of Bristol, RI; manufactured variety of
rubber goods (rubber boots, shoes); 1888 - reorganized as
National India Rubber Company; acquired controlling interest in several
smaller companies; 1892 - consolidated holdings with
fledgling U.S. Rubber Company in Naugatuck, CT; became United States
Rubber Company; largest manufacturer of rubber goods in world;
1896 - one of 12 original industrial stocks in first Dow
Industrial average; 1901 - Colt president (Chairman in
1918); January 2, 1917 - registered "Keds" trademark first
used July 14, 1916 (rubber, leather, and fabric boots and shoes);
1961 - name changed to Uniroyal Inc.; September 10, 1963
- registered "Uniroyal" trademark first used September 5, 1962 (rubber
adhesives); August 1986 - merged with tire division of
B.F. Goodrich Company in joint venture private partnership, became
Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company (Goodrich held 50% interest); June
1988 - Goodrich stake acquired for $225 million. by Clayton &
Dubilier, Inc.; May 1990 - acquired by Michelin Group for
about US$1.5 billion.
May 28, 1889 - Andre and Edouard
Michelin began manufacturing rubber bicycle tires
(1886 - had taken over failing family agricultural goods
business in small central French town of Clermont-Ferrand in
Auvergne region of France); September 11, 1891 - Edouard
Michelin received a French patent (received U. S. patent on May 16,
1893) for a "Pneumatic-Tire" ("comprises two distinct and independent
parts...to permit the rapid removal of the exterior tire for the purpose
of changing or repairing the air chamber in case of its becoming broken
or deteriorated"); detachable tire; 1898
- introduced 'Michelin Man' (known as Bibendum in rest of world; by
Marius Rossillon O'Gallop, well-known illustrator); 1900
- introduced Michelin Guide as motorist’s guide (included driving
distances, locations of gas stations, hotels, spare parts, repair
services).
June 2, 1891 - John Boyd Dunlop, of Belfast, Ireland
received a patent for a "Tire for Vehicle-Wheels" ("pneumatic
1892 - Nine rubber companies in Naugatuck, CT consolidated
operations, founded U. S. Rubber Company; May 26, 1896 -
included in twelve industrial manufacturing stocks in Dow Industrial
average created by Charles Dow (until 1930); 1961 - name
changed to Uniroyal Inc.; September 10, 1963 - registered
"Uniroyal" trademark first used September 5, 1962 (rubber adhesives);
August 1986 - merged with B.F. Goodrich Company, became
Uniroyal Goodrich Tire Company; June 1988 - Goodrich sold
its 50% stake for $225 million to group of investors led by Clayton &
Dubilier, Inc., private equity firm; May 1990 - acquired
by Michelin Group for $1.5 billion.
or inflated tires for the wheels of velocipedes and other vehicles");
June 7, 1892 - John F. Palmer, of Riverside, IL, received
two patents for a "Pneumatic Tire"; first self-healing bicycle cord tire; tread
portion designed to operate under compression, any puncture would tend
to close rather than open: manufactured by B.F. Goodrich Company.
December 20, 1892 - Alexander T. Brown and George F. Stillman,
of Syracuse, New York, received a patent for a "Pneumatic Tire for
Vehicles"; inflatable (pneumatic) automobile tire;
automobile tire that could be easily
detached or mounted to the rim of wheel (no permanent connection between
tire and wheel necessary, no tools for tightening required, other
than those to inflate).
August 29, 1898 - Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.
incorporated in Ohio; November 21, 1898 -
Frank
A. Seiberling (38) and 13 workers
began production of bicycle, carriage tires, horseshoe pads, fire hose,
rubber poker chips in converted strawboard factory in East Akron, OH;
first month sales = $8,246.00.
1900 - Harvey Firestone (31) incorporated Firestone Tire &
Rubber Company in Akron, OH; 1902 - first factory opened
with 12 employees; 1906 - sold 2,000 sets of detachable
tires to Henry Ford for first mass-produced automobiles in America;
1907 - developed first commercial "demountable rim" (made
tire repair, replacement easier); 1911 - first
Indianapolis 500 winner drove on Firestone tires; March 29, 1921
- registered "Firestone" trademark first used in 1900 (rubber tires); 1971 -
developed first steel belted radial tire; 1979 -
introduced temporary spare tire; 1988 - acquired by
Bridgestone Corporation.
August 3, 1900 -
Inventor and entrepreneur Harvey S. Firestone (31) incorporated
Firestone Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, OH; began production of carriage tires with only 12 employees;
1908 - Henry Ford chose Firestone tires for the Model T.
June 14,1904 - Frank A. Seiberling and William C. Stevens.
of Akron, OH, received a patent for a "Machine for Making Outer Castings
for Double-Tube Tires"; tire making machine.
August 23, 1904 - Harry D. Weed, of Canastota, NY,
received a patent for "Grip-Tread for Pneumatic Tires" ("applicable for
use on the traction-wheels of automobiles to prevent the tire from
slipping on slippery pavements...composed entirely of chains linked
together and applied to the sides and periphery of the tire and held in
place solely by the inflation of the tire"); tire chains for
automobiles.
1905 - Trelleborgs Gummifabriks AB is founded. Under the
management of Henry Dunker, rapidly becomes Scandinavia’s leading
rubber-production company, with bicycle and car tires, industrial rubber
goods and raincoats as its principal products; 2005 -one
of world's leading groups in polymer technology.
February 4, 1913 -
Louis H. Perlman, of New York City,
received patent for a "Wheel";
demountable tire-carrying rim for
cars (similar those used on today's cars, but wider); first automobile tire rim designed to be
removed and remounted.
April 14, 1914 - Stacy G. Carkhuff (Firestone Rubber
Co.) received a patent for a "Vehicle-Tire"; first U.S. patent for non-skid tire pattern; abrupt
oblique edges of raised portions molded on the tire provided against
skidding in all directions; arranged in rows diagonally across the tread
surface of the tire.
April 5, 1923 - Firestone Tire and Rubber Company began
the first regular production of balloon tires (large-section,
thin-walled tires with a small bead) for commercial use; wider contact
area, more comfortable ride, reduced the danger of high-pressure
blowouts; steel-wheeled tractor could
be replaced with pneumatic tires with better grip, less vibration, more
comfort, lower fuel consumption; created a new worldwide market in
agricultural and earth-moving tires; 1932 -
Firestone low-pressure balloon tires revolutionized work on farms.
November 1, 1923 - Goodyear bought rights to
manufacture Zeppelin dirigibles.
November 12, 1923 - Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
announces it has purchased all patents and rights to manufacture
Zeppelin dirigibles.
May 27, 1924 - Thomas A. Edison received a patent for a
"Method of Producing Chlorinated Rubber".
May 12,1925 - Alden L. Putnam, of Detroit, MI, received a patent for a
"Pneumatic Treaded Vehicle Wheel";
treaded pneumatic tire.
April 10, 1930 - Synthetic rubber first produced.
1931 - Ishibashi Shojiro founded Bridgestone Tire
Corporation; name was transposed English translation of his last name
("Stone Bridge" transposed better sounding "Bridge Stone"); made company
name and trademark; guaranteed exchange of any defective tire for new
one; one hundred thousand tires had to be recalled during following
three years; after WW II, operated 46 plants in 23 nations; 1984
- name changed to Bridgestone Corporation; March 1988 -
acquired 88-year-old Firestone Tire & Rubber for $2.6 billion.
June 14, 1932 - Thomas A. Edison received a patent for
"Production of Molded Articles" ("improved method for molding such
articles as are made of rubber containing material or the like and to
molds or platens used in carrying out such method and coated to prevent
the material of the articles molded from adhering to the molds when such
articles are removed therefrom").
November 8, 1932 - Douglas Frank Twiss and Edward Arthur
Murphy, of Birmingham, UK, received a patent for the "Manufacture of
Goods from Aqueous Dispersions of or Containing Rubber and Similar
Resins" ("manufacture of goods of rubber or similar material by known
operations such as dipping, spreading, coating, moulding, extrusion,
chemical deposition or electrophoretic deposition from emulsions or
dispersions of rubber or similar materials...represent a penultimate
stage and are in a more or less pasty condition containing a relatively
large proportion of water...for the most part lacking in mechanical
strength and easily lose their shape"); foam rubber (developed in 1929
as frothed natural latex rubber); assigned to Dunlop Rubber Company
Limited;
1934 - ubiquitous - used on motorcycle seats, London bus
seats, Shakespeare Memorial Theatre seats, mattresses.
October 10, 1933 - Waldo L. Semon, of Silver Lake
Village, OH, received a patent for a "Synthetic Rubber-Like Composition
and Method of Making Same"; plasticized PVC (polyvinyl chloride in a
rubber-like form); vinyl - for use as water-proof boots or shoes,
insulating coatings, resilient flooring material.
June 4, 1940 - Synthetic rubber tire unveiled.
December 27, 1941 - U.S. government began to ration
rubber, due to shortages caused by World War II; tires were first items
restricted by law.
May 11, 1947 -
B.F. Goodrich Co. announced the development of a tubeless tire.
August 9, 2000
- Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. announced it was recalling 6.5 million
tires that had been implicated in hundreds of accidents and at least 46
deaths.
(Canadian Tire), Ian Brown (1989).
Freewheeling: The Feuds, Broods,
and Outrageous Fortunes of the Billes Family and Canada's Favorite
Company. (Toronto, ON: Harper & Collins, 339 p.). Canadian Tire
Corporation--History; Billes family.
(Canadian Tire), Rod McQueen (2001). Can't Buy Me Love: How Martha
Billes Made Canadian Tire Hers. (Toronto, ON: Stoddart, 282 p.).
Martha Billes; Canadian Tire Corporation--History.
(Continental AG - established 1871), Paul Erker; Trans. Frederick S.
Gardiner (1996).
Competition and Growth: A Contemporary History of
the Continental AG. (Dusseldorf, GER: ECON, 320 p.). Free University
(Berlin). Continental AG--History; Rubber industry and
trade--Germany--History.
(Firestone), Harvey S. Firestone in collaboration with Samuel Crowther (1926).
Men and Rubber; the Story of Business. (Garden
City, NY: Doubleday, 279 p.). Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.
(Firestone), Harvey S. Firestone, Jr. (1932).
The Romance and Drama of the Rubber Industry. (Akron, OH: The
Company, 127 p.). Firestone Tire and Rubber Company; Rubber industry
and trade -- History; Tires, Rubber.
(Firestone), Alfred Lief (1951). The Firestone Story, A History
of the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company. (New York, NY:
Whittlesey House, 437 p.). Firestone, Harvey Samuel, 1868-1938;
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company.
(Firestone), Alfred Lief with a foreword by Allen Nevins (1951).
Harvey
Firestone: Free Man of Enterprise. (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 324
p.). Firestone, Harvey Samuel, 1868-1938; Firestone Tire and Rubber
Company; Industrialists--United States--Biography.
(Firestone), Wayne Chatfield Taylor (1956).
The Firestone Operations in Liberia. (Washington, DC: National
Planning Association, 115 p.). Firestone Plantations Company; Rubber
industry and trade -- Liberia; Liberia -- Economic conditions.
(Firestone), Paul Dickson and William Hickman (1999).
Firestone:
A Legend, a Century, a Celebration, 1900-2000. (New York, NY:
Forbes Custom Publishing. Firestone, Harvey Samuel, 1868-1938;
Firestone Tire and Rubber Company--History; Industrialists--United
States--Biography; Tire industry--United States--History; Rubber
industry and trade--United States--History.
(General Tire), Dennis J. O'Neill (1966).
A Whale of a
Territory; The Story of Bill O'Neil. (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill,
249 p.). O'Neil, William Francis; General Tire & Rubber Co.
(Goodrich - origins to 1870), Mansel G. Blackford, K. Austin Kerr (1996).
B.F.
Goodrich:
Tradition and Transformation, 1870-1995. (Columbus, OH: Ohio State
University Press, 507 p.). B.F. Goodrich Company--History; Rubber
industry and trade--United States--History; Tire industry--United
States--History.
(Goodyear), Rev. Bradford K. Peirce (1866).
Trials of an Inventor: Life and Discoveries of Charles Goodyear.
(New York, NY: Carlton & Porter, 224 p.). Goodyear, Charles,
1800-1860.
(Goodyear), Norman Beasley (1931). Men Working; A Story of the
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (New York, NY: Harper &
Brothers, 296 p.). Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.
(Goodyear), Ralph F. Wolf (1939).
India Rubber Man; The Story of Charles Goodyear. (Caldwell,
ID: The Caxton printers, ltd., 291 p.). Goodyear, Charles, 1800-1860.
(Goodyear), Adolph C. Regli (1941).
Rubber's Goodyear; The Story
of Man's Perseverance. (New York, NY: J. Messner, 248 p.).
Goodyear, Charles, 1800-1860; Rubber industry and trade--United
States.
(Goodyear), Hugh Allen (1949).
The House of Goodyear; Fifty
Years of Men and Industry. (Cleveland, OH: Corday & Gross, 691
p.). Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; Tires, Rubber; Rubber industry
and trade.
(Goodyear), Paul W. Litchfield (1954).
Industrial Voyage; My Life as an Industrial Lieutenant.
(Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 347 p.). Goodyear Tire and Rubber
Company.
(Goodyear), Hugh Allen (1976).
The House of Goodyear: A Story of Rubber and of
Modern Business. (New York, NY: Arno Press, 417 p. (Reprint of
1943 ed.)). Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; Tires, Rubber; Rubber
industry and trade.
(Goodyear), Maurice O'Reilly; edited by James T. Keating (1983).
The
Goodyear Story. (Elmsford, NY: Benjamin Co., 223 p.). Goodyear
Tire and Rubber Company; Tire industry--United States--History; Rubber
industry and trade--United States--History.
(Goodyear), Bryan D. Palmer (1994).
Goodyear Invades the Backcountry: The Corporate Takeover of a Rural
Town. (New York, NY: Monthly Review Press, 180 p.). Goodyear
Tire and Rubber Company; Tire industry -- Ontario -- Napanee; Rubber
industry and trade -- Ontario -- Napanee.
(Goodyear), Jeffrey L. Rodengen (1997).
The Legend of Goodyear: The First 100 Years. (Ft. Lauderdale,
FL: Write Stuff Syndicate, 251 p.). Goodyear Tire and Rubber
Company--History; Tire industry--United States--History; Rubber
industry and trade--United States--History.
(Goodyear), Richard Korman (2002).
The Goodyear Story: An
Inventor's Obsession and the Struggle for a Rubber Monopoly. (San
Francisco, CA: Encounter Books, 230 p.). Goodyear, Charles, 1800-1860;
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company; Rubber.
(Goodyear), Charles Slack (2002).
Noble Obsession: Charles
Goodyear, Thomas Hancock, and the Race To Unlock the Greatest Industrial
Secret of the Nineteenth Century. (New York, NY: Hyperion, p.).
Goodyear, Charles, 1800-1860; Hancock, Thomas; Goodyear Tire and Rubber
Company; Rubber.
(Michelin), Alain Jemain; préface de Bernard Hanon (1982).
Michelin: Un Siècle de Secrets. (Paris, FR: Calmann-Lévy, 261 p.).
Pneu Michelin (Firm)--History; Tire industry--France--History.
(Michelin), Stephen L. Harp (2001).
Marketing Michelin:
Advertising and Cultural Identity in Twentieth-Century France.
(Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 368 p.). Associate
Professor of History (University of Akron). Pneu Michelin
(Firm)--History; Advertising--Tires--France--History.
(Michelin), Herbert Lottman (2003).
The Michelin Men: Driving an
Empire. (New York, NY: I. B. Tauris, 310 p.). Pneu Michelin
(Firm)--History; Tire industry--France--History.
(Peruvian Amazon Company), Ovidio Lagos (2005).
Arana, rey del Caucho: Terror y Atrocidades en el Alto Amazonas.
(Buenos Aires, Argentina: Emecé Editores, 397 p.). Arana, Julio César;
Peruvian Amazon Company -- History; Businesspeople -- Peru --
Biography; Rubber industry and trade -- Amazon River Region --
History; Indians of South America -- Crimes against -- Amazon River
Region -- History.
(Pirelli), Francesca Polese (2004). Alla Ricerca di un’Industria
Nuova: Il Viaggio all’Estero del Giovane Pirelli e le Origini di Una
Grande Impresa, 1870-1877. (Venezia, IT: Marsilio, 210 p.).
Pirelli, Giovanni Battista, 1848-1932 --Travel--Europe; Pirelli,
societa` per azioni--History; Rubber industry and
trade--Italy--History; Europe--Description and travel.
Origins of the first Italian rubber
manufacturing company.
(United States Rubber Company), Glenn D. Babcock (1966).
History
of the United States Rubber Company; A Case Study in Corporation
Management. (Bloomington, IN: Bureau of Business Research,
Graduate School of Business, Indiana University, 477 p.). United
States Rubber Company.
Hugh Allen; with a foreword by Lloyd C. Douglas (1949).
Rubber's
Home Town, The Real-Life Story of Akron. (New York, NY: Stratford
House, 265 p.). Akron (Ohio)--History.
Janet Bloor, John D. Sinclair (2004).
Rubber: Fun, Fashion, Fetish. (New York, NY: Thames & Hudson,
112 p.). Head of Euroco Costumes Ltd. (costume/fabric effects - silicone
rubber textiles for Broadway and film); Screenwriter/Filmmaker.
Rubber--history; Arts & Photography; Design; Textile & Costume.
John H. Drabble (1973). Rubber in Malaysia, 1876-1922; The
Genesis of the Industry. (New York, NY: Oxford University Press,
256 p.). Honorary Research Associate (University of Sydney). Rubber
industry and trade -- Malaysia -- Malaya -- History.
Michael J. French (1990).
The U.S. Tire Industry: A History.
(Boston, MA: Twayne Publishers, 156 p.). Tire industry--United
States--History.
Vernon Herbert and Attilio Bisio (1985).
Synthetic Rubber: A
Project That Had To Succeed. (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 243
p.). Rubber, Artificial -- History; Rubber industry and trade -- United
States -- History.
Joe Jackson (2008).
The Thief at the End of the World: Rubber, Power and the Seeds of Empire.
(New York, NY: Viking, 432 p.). Rubber industry and trade--Amazon River
Region--History. Reckless courage and ambition.
1876 - Henry Wickham
smuggled 70,000 rubber tree seeds (Hevea brasiliensis tree)
out of rainforests of Brazil, delivered them to Victorian England’s most
prestigious scientists at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens; seeds planted
around world in England’s colonial outposts; gave rise to great rubber
boom of early twentieth century; changed world economy, bankrupted
Brazil, made UK a world power again, pave way for America's automobile
revolution.
Steve Love and David Giffels (1999).
Wheels of Fortune: The Story
of Rubber in Akron. (Akron, OH: University of Akron Press, 359 p.).
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company--History; B.F. Goodrich
Company--History; Firestone Tire and Rubber Company--History; General
Tire & Rubber Co.--History; Rubber industry and
trade--Ohio--Akron--History; Tire industry--Ohio--Akron--History. D.
J. M. Tate (1996).
The RGA History of the Plantation Industry in the Malay Peninsula.
(New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 647 p.). Plantations--Malay
Peninsula--History; Industries--Malay Peninsula--History; Rubber
industry and trade--Malay Peninsula--History; Malay Peninsula--History;
Malay Peninsula--Colonial influence. Commissioned by The Rubber Growers'
Association (Malaysia) Berhad.
Barbara Weinstein (1983).
The Amazon Rubber Boom, 1850-1920.
(Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 356 p.). Rubber industry and
trade--Brazil--History.
Charles M. Wilson (1943). Trees & Test Tubes; The Story of Rubber.
(New York, NY: Holt, 352 p.). Rubber. Howard and Ralph Wolf (1936).
Rubber; A Story of Glory and Greed. (New York, NY: Covici, Friede,
533 p.). India-rubber industry--History; India-rubber.
__________________________________________________
Business History Links
The International Rubber Market, 1870-1930
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/frank.international.rubber.market
Essay about natural rubber extraction and commercialization during the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially "the best source of latex,
the milky fluid from which natural rubber products were made, was hevea
brasiliensis, which grew predominantly in the Brazilian Amazon (but also
in the Amazonian regions of Bolivia and Peru)." Later, Southeast Asian
plantations developed a low-cost alternative to South American
production methods. Includes graphs. By two history professors.
Tire Industry Hall of Fame
http://tireindustry.org/hall_of_fame.asp
United States Synthetic Rubber Program, 1939-1945
http://acswebcontent.acs.org/landmarks/landmarks/rbb/ Illustrated
essay about the origins of synthetic rubber, which was developed by a
consortium of companies after Southeast Asia cut off the U.S. supply of
natural rubber at the beginning of World War II. Includes a
bibliography. Part of the American Chemical Society National Historic
Chemical Landmarks website. |
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