The first bubblegum was invented by Frank Henry Fleer in 1906 and was called Blibber Blubber. Fleer's original bubblegum was sticky and broke easily.
An accountant at Fleer named Walter Diemer liked to experiment with gum recipes in his spare time. While experimenting in 1928, Diemer stumbled across the right formulation of ingredients, making a gum that was less sticky and more flexible. This new gum was called "Dubble Bubble" and was sold for one penny per piece. Sales of Dubble Bubble surpassed $1.5 million in the first year!
The first successful bubble gum was pink because pink was the only food coloring available in the Fleer factory. Pink remains the most common color of bubble gum today.
The first round, candy-coated gumballs were introduced in 1907 and were available through special gumball machines.
Contrary to a common wives' tale, swallowed gum will NOT stay in your system for seven years. Gum base is indigestible and resists the body's efforts to break it down like other foods. However, swallowed gum will pass through your intestinal track normally until it is eliminated naturally. Still, gum is not designed to be swallowed, so better to throw it in the garbage!
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest bubble ever blown measured 23 inches in diameter!
Contrary to popular myth, if you chew and swallow a gumball it will not stay in your system for seven years. Although gum base is not digestible, a swallowed piece of gum will eventually pass through your system in one piece.
According to the National Institutes of Health, chewing gum may enhance attention as well as promote well-being and work performance.
The largest bubblegum bubble ever blown as recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records, was blown by Chad Fell at Double Springs High School in Winston County, Alabama on April 24, 2004. Chad's bubble measured 20 inches in diameter and is said to the product of three pieces of Dubble Bubble bubblegum.
Chewing gum while cutting onions may help your eyes from tearing up.
The only country that has more gum companies than the United States is Turkey.
Chewing gum burns approximately 11 calories per hour.
Chewing gum while flying on an airplane can help your ears from clogging while relieving discomfort. Chewing gum encourages saliva production and swallowing. The act of chewing and swallowing helps force open the Eustachian tube, which is what makes your ears pop when changing altitude.
Chewing gum after a meal may help prevent heartburn. Chewing gum helps stimulate saliva production which helps to neutralize stomach acid.
