June 15, 1844 — The Goodyear company patented the vulcanization of rubber today. It’s founder, Charles Goodyear, obtained his first patent to produce rubber on June 17, 1837. He received patent number 3633 from the United States Patent Office on June 15, 1844.

Vulcanized rubber is malleable, durable and non-stick — and therefore it proved to be a very effective material for sealing small gaps. This discovery made the material much more durable, and changed the industrial world.

Goodyear’s discovery followed five years of searching for a more stable rubber and stumbling upon the effectiveness of heating after Thomas Hancock. His discovery initiated decades of successful rubber manufacturing in the Lower Naugatuck Valley in Connecticut, as rubber was adopted to multiple applications, including footwear and tires. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is named after him.

Sources: wikipedia.org/Charles_Goodyear, Vulcanization, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company