Popping a stick of gum into your mouth is such a common action that most people hardly think about it. But it’s a time-honored tradition throughout the human race! The ancient Greeks enjoyed chewing on lumps of tree resin, which had similar benefits to today’s gum, freshening breath and cleaning teeth. In fact, most ancient civilizations practiced some kind of activity similar to chewing gum. Native Americans and Mayans chewed tree sap, and American pioneers gummed a mixture of hardened sap and beeswax.
Brothers Henry and Frank Fleer were among the first to attempt to commercialize gum production. They experimented with covering tree resin with a sugar coating, resulting in a confection they called “Chiclets.” Frank also developed the first recipe for bubble gum. Eventually, Walter Diemer, an accountant for the Fleer Brothers, perfected the bubble gum recipe when he was attempting to develop a new kind of rubber. It was produced by the Fleer factory and marketed as “Dubble Bubble.”
We thought it might be fun to share this fun fact.
Grand Dental Studio
Dr. Michael Kirk
Dr. Janice Henry
