Charles Goodyear

Famous People

Int
Teens & Adults
Grades 6–12

Charles Goodyear was an American who invented the vulcanization of rubber. His family was very poor, and Goodyear spent much of his time in debtors' prison. This is where he got his best ideas.

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Focus

topic-based
academic
4-skills
biography
vulcanization of rubber
debtors' prison

Vocabulary

strengthen
inflatable
raft
hardware
debt
melt
ruin
complain
possessions
experiment
patent
commercial
give up
A spinning paper plane
A spinning paper plane