Accelerd Item No.
Who invented chewing gum?
Humans have been chewing on something since the dawn of history, usually sap (resin) from various trees
or wax. In 1848, John Curtis made the first gum in the United States when he cooked resin from a spruce
tree on his wood-burning stove. In 1869, the first patent issued for chewing gum was given to William
Semple, a dentist in Ohio, who invented a gum to exercise the jaws and stimulate the gums. It never sold,
probably because it was made primarily of rubber. The invention of gum, as we know it today, came about
because of the friendship of two men, Thomas Adams, a photographer, and Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna,
who had defeated the Texans atthe Alamo. When Santa Anna was exiled from Mexico, he lived with Adams
on Staten Island, NewYork. Adams had tried different schemes to make money but all had failed. Santa
Anna told him of an idea that could make Adams wealthy. He told him of a gummy substance that people in
Mexico had been chewing for thousand of years. It was calledchicle, the milky sap from the sapodilla tree
that grows in the tropical rain forests of Central America. But gum was not on either's mind. The plan was to
blend chicle and rubber together to make cheaper tires, toys, and rainboots. Santa Anna had his friends in
Mexico ship a ton of chicle to Adams. Although he laboured for about ayear, every one of his experiments
failed. He had not been able to blend chicle and rubber. A vast amount of useless chicle was stored in his
warehouse and Adams decided to throw it all into theriver. By sheer luck, Adams happened to go into a
drugstore and saw a little girl buy some paraffin wax chewing gum. He remembered that Santa Anna had
told him that Mexicans chewed chicle. Inspired, Adams started making unflavored pure chicle gum. It sold
extremely well and Adams build a thriving business.
Some years later, John Colgan, a drugstore owner in Louisville, Kentucky, was selling a gum he made from
balsam tree sap and flavored with powdered sugar. He had heard of how successful Thomas Adam was, so
he ordered 100 pounds of chicle. He started making Taffy Tolu Chewing Gum, which was so successful that
he sold his drugstore and devoted his time to manufacturing chewing gum.
A breakthrough in gum manufacture occurred when a popcorn salesman, William J. White, started
experimenting with a barrel of chicle a friend had given him. He discovered how to flavor gum. Chicle does
not absorb flavors, but sugar does. He combined flavors, such as peppermint, with corn syrup and then
blended the mixture with the chicle. In 1899, the major gum manufacturers united to become the American
Chicle Company. William White was president and Thomas Adams, Jr., was chairman of the board. You
might see some of their brands today, such as Black Jack and Beeman's. People have been chewing gum
ever since.
8. Which of the following is NOT stated in paragraph 1?
A) W. Semple was never able to sell his gum. b) People used to chew a substance made by bees.
B) The first patent for gum belongs to a doctor. I) Curtis invented chewing gum while cooking
9. According to the passage Thomas Adams
A) took photos of Santa Anna b) was going to produce rubber things
B) bought a ship from his Mexican friends I) was developing chewing gum for a year
10. A) He was forced to leave Mexico. b) He defended the people of Texas.
B) He knew the Mexicans' habits well. T) He made a lot of money selling gum.
11. A) was made in a drugstore b) appeared due to a chance
B) was a result of a 50-year research I) would have been impossible without Beeman
12. A) balsams were added to chicle b) it was sold together with popcorn
B) its taste was variegated by W. White ) chicle was combined with paraffin wax