Charles Goodyear (December 29, 1800 – July 1, 1860) was an American inventor who developed a process to vulcanize rubber in 1839 -- a method that he perfected while living and working in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1844, and for which he received patent number 3633 from the United States Patent Office on June 15, 1844
Although Goodyear is often credited with its invention, modern evidence has proven that the Mesoamericans used stabilized rubber for balls and other objects as early as 1600 BC.
Goodyear discovered the vulcanization process accidentally after five years of searching for a more stable rubber.
Read more about Charles Goodyear: Early Life, Marriage and Early Career, Vulcanization Trials, Perfection and Patent of Vulcanization in Springfield, Mass., Court Cases Regarding Vulcanization, Death and Legacy