Thomas Adams
(1818-1905)Thomas Adams patented (1871) a chewing gum machine and manufactured the first commercially successful chewing gum (Black Jack), using chicle and sugar with sassafras or licorice flavoring. The story is told that he obtained the chicle from Santa Anna (Conquerer of The Alamo) who was living in exile in New Jersey. Adams was unsuccessfully trying to make rubber from the chicle when he noticed that Santa Anna liked to chew the chicle. The rest, as they say, is history. | 