NATIONAL CHEWING GUM DAY
Gum chewers across the nation celebrate National Chewing Gum Day each year on September 30.
Humans have used chewing gum for over 5,000 years.
Various forms of chewing gum has existed since the Neolithic period. 5,000-year-old chewing gum which was made from bark tar, with tooth imprints in it, was found in Kierikki, Yli-li, Finland. The bark tar, from which the gum during that time was made, is believed to have antiseptic properties and other medicinal advantages.
- Many other cultures chewed gum made from the resin of the mastic tree, from plants, grasses and other resins.
- In 1848, John B. Curtis developed and sold the first commercial chewing gum which was called “The State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum”.
- Around 1850, a gum made from paraffin wax was developed and surpassed the spruce gum in popularity.
- December 28, 1869, William Semple filed an early patent on chewing gum, patent number 98,304.
Celebrate National Chewing Gum Day by buying a pack of your favorite flavor of chewing gum and sharing it with your friends.