During the liberation of Western Bohemia in World War II, American soldiers distributed chewing gum. It was one of the first contacts* of our people in the then Czechoslovakia with chewing gum. Is it true or fake that chewing gum was invented in the USA? And is it true that it was indeed one of the first contacts of our people with chewing gum during World War II, or was it earlier?
True or Fake?
As you can read in the article “History of Chewing Gums,” the origin of chewing gums goes much deeper than in the USA. The first precursor of chewing gums was found around 9,000 years ago in northern Europe.
Golden Era of Chewing Gums
It is, therefore, fake. Chewing gums were not invented in the USA. However, what we can say with certainty is that the USA was the cradle for their development (more info in the article “Golden Era“).
It all started in the 1840s when John Curtis made the first commercial chewing gum and also founded the first factory. After that, things went smoothly.
Another key person, Thomas Adams, pushed the development of chewing gum a bit further by accidentally using a new raw material “chicle,”. Which gave the gum an unusual feature – stretching the gum by hand from the mouth to an unusual distance. And eventually, he also managed to add flavor to the gum. Many other personalities followed, contributing to advancements in development, bringing chewing gum closer to its present form. But that’s a different story.
* Was it one of the first contacts of Czechs with chewing gum, or was it much earlier? You can find out more in the article – “First Chewing Gums in the Czech Republic.“