Charles Good year didn’t invent rubber, but he developed the process that makes rubber usable and stable, called vulcanization.

He spent his entire life working with rubber. He first achieved making valves that used rubber life preservers, but the rubber was so unstable.

In the 1830’s rubber fever struck, and many new products were developed from rubber. But sadly, rubber wasn’t very useful, because heat melted it and cold temperature made it freeze and crack, so Goodyear wanted to find a way to make it stable.

While he was working all of his life his family suffered and rely on relatives for food and basic need. Even when he invented the Vulcanization process, he was not able to profit from it.

After he died Thomas Hancock stole Goodyear’s idea and owned the Patent.