Hundreds and perhaps even thousands of years before Charles Goodyear discovered the vulcanization process that made commercial rubber viable, Mesoamerican peoples were carrying out a similar process ...

Charles Goodyear's obsession began one auspicious day in New York. He’d always been a tinkerer and a new “miracle” substance, rubber, had caught his fancy. He’d developed an improved valve for a ...

When it comes to choosing a pair of skate shoes, you've got a ton of choices: the brand, the color, high top, low top, mid top, or slip-on, materials (leather, suede, canvas, nubuck), but most ...

It wasn’t until 1844, when Charles Goodyear patented vulcanized rubber, that modern-day soccer balls began to really take shape—literally. But it wasn’t until 1844 that the modern-day soccer ball as ...

Because they're made of vulcanized rubber, old tires can't simply be melted down and used to make new tires. Such is reportedly not the case, however, with new rubber-free tires made from eco-friendly ...

Without the US Rubber Company, which was founded in Connecticut in 1892, there would be no such thing as sneakers. It’s true: From 1892 until 1913, the company’s factories manufactured vulcanized ...

Natural rubber is a wonder material. Few discoveries or innovations come close to its impact on manufacturing, and the car industry is just one of many that depend on it for critical components, such ...