Humans have used chewing-gum for over 5 000 years – for that reason alone, it deserves its own National Day – which is celebrated annually on 30 September.
Various forms of chewing-gum have existed since the Neolithic (New Stone Age) period. Chewing-gum made from bark tar with tooth imprints in it was found at Kierikki, in the municipality of Yli-li, in Finland. This chewing-gum is believed to be 5 000 years old.
The bark tar, from which the chewing-gum of that time was made, was believed to have antiseptic properties and other medicinal advantages.
Some chewing-gum facts:
– Many other cultures chewed gum made from the mastic tree’s resin, plants, grasses and other resins.
– John B Curtis developed and sold the first commercial gum in 1848. It was called “The State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum”.
– A gum made from paraffin wax was developed around 1850 and surpassed the spruce gum in popularity.
– William Semple filed an early patent on chewing-gum on 28 December 1869 with patent number 98 304.
To celebrate buy a pack of your favourite gum and share it with your friends. Have a competition to see who can blow the biggest bubbles without them popping in their faces.
Use #NationalChewingGumDay to post photos of these bubbles and other chewing-gum related activities on social media.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites Randfontein Herald, Krugersdorp News and Get It Joburg West Magazine
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
