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Many years ago, a strange-looking man was sometimes seen in the streets of New York. His cap was made of India rubber. So was his coat. He wore a rubber waistcoat. Even his cravat was of India rubber. He wore rubber shoes in dry weather. People called this man "The India rubber man."

His name was Charles Goodyear. He was very poor. He was trying to find out how to make India rubber useful.

India rubber trees grow in South America. The juice of these trees is something like milk or cream. By drying this juice, India rubber is made.

The Indians in Brazil have no glass to make bottles with. A long time ago, they learned to make bottles out of rubber. More than a hundred years ago, some of these rubber bottles were brought to this country. The people in this country had never seen India rubber before. They thought the bottles made out of it by the Indians very curious.

In this country, rubber was used only to rub out pencil marks. That is why we call it rubber. People in South America learned to make a kind of heavy shoe out of it. But these shoes were hard to make. They cost a great deal when they were sold in this country.

Goodyear wanted to try his rubber. That is why he wore a rubber coat and a rubber waistcoat and a rubber cravat. That is why he wore a rubber cap and rubber shoes when it was not raining. He made paper out of rubber, and wrote a book on it. He had a doorplate made of it. He even carried a cane made of India rubber. It is no wonder people called him the India rubber man.

He was very poor. Sometimes he had to borrow money to buy rubber with. Sometimes his friends gave him money to keep his family from starving. Sometimes there was no wood and no coal in the house in cold weather.

But Goodyear kept on trying. He thought that he was just going to find out. Years went by, and still he kept on trying.

One day he was mixing some rubber with Sulphur. It slipped out of his hand. It fell on the hot stove. But it did not melt. Goodyear was happy at last. That night it was cold. Goodyear took the burned piece of rubber out of doors, and nailed it to the kitchen door. When morning came, he went and got it. It had not frozen.

He was now sure that he was on the right track. But he had to find out how to mix and heat his rubber and Sulphur. He was too poor to buy rubber to try with. Nobody would lend him anymore money. His family had to live by the help of his friends. He had already sold almost everything that he had. Now he had to sell his children's schoolbooks to get money to buy rubber with.

At last, his rubber goods were made and sold. Poor men who had to stand in the rain could now keep themselves dry. People could walk in the wet with dry feet. A great many people are alive who would have died if they had not been kept dry by India rubber.

You may count up, if you can, how many useful things are made of rubber. We owe them all to one man. People laughed at Goodyear once. But at last they praised him. To be "The India rubber man" was something to be proud of.

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Directions

Study the lesson for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read the story multiple times.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Study the vocabulary words.
  • Learn the concepts.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

People called Charles Goodyear, 'The India Rubber Man', because he made and wore clothes made from rubber. The Indians in South America used rubber to make bottles. People brought rubber to America and tried to find ways to use it. At first, rubber was only used to rub out pencil marks, which is where 'rubber' got its name. People tried to make shoes from rubber. But when winter came, the shoes would freeze as hard as stones. When summer came, the rubber shoes would melt. Goodyear tried for many years to make better rubber that would not get hard in the winter and melt in the summer. He was very poor and had to borrow money from friends to keep his family from starving or freezing to death in the winter, but he kept on trying for years. One day, Goodyear mixed rubber and Sulphur. This rubber did not melt. It did not freeze into a hard rock. He needed to buy more rubber and Sulphur to figure out how to mix it best, but he had no money. When no one had money to lend him, he sold almost everything he had to buy rubber. His risk paid off, and he became a success. He made and sold useful things from rubber. The people who once laughed at him now praised him.

Vocabulary

Rubber: A tough elastic polymeric substance made from the latex of a tropical plant or synthetically.
South America: A continent in the western hemisphere, mostly lying to the south of the equator.
Cravat: A necktie.
Sulphur: A yellow combustible nonmetal.

Concepts

Persistence means to keep working at something even if it is hard to do.

  1. In the story, Charles Goodyear shows persistence when he refuses to give up his quest to create rubber that does not get hard in the winter or melt in the summer.
  2. Can you think of a situation where you showed persistence?
  3. The next time you have a hard time and want to quit something, think of Charles Goodyear succeeding through persistence.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Narrate the Story

  • After reading or listening to the story, narrate the story events aloud using your own words.

Activity 2: Color the Story   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 45 of 'History Coloring Pages for First Grade.'

Activity 3: Draw the Story

  • Long after Goodyear died, another man started a company and named it after him. The 'Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company' is still operating today.
  • The 'Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company' manufactures tires from rubber (plus other things) for cars and other vehicles.
  • Look at the image of the rubber tires below. Draw the tires, and remember they contain rubber.

Review

Question 1

Why did people call Charles Goodyear, 'The India Rubber Man?'
1 / 4

Answer 1

People called Charles Goodyear, 'The India Rubber Man', because he made and wore clothes made from rubber.
1 / 4

Question 2

How did rubber get its name?
2 / 4

Answer 2

Rubber was first used in America to rub out pencil marks.
2 / 4

Question 3

Why couldn't shoes be made from rubber at first?
3 / 4

Answer 3

Rubber shoes became hard in the winter and melted in the summer.
3 / 4

Question 4

What happened when Goodyear mixed Sulphur with rubber?
4 / 4

Answer 4

Rubber no longer got hard in the winter and melted in the summer.
4 / 4

  1. Why did people call Charles Goodyear, 'The India Rubber Man?' People called Charles Goodyear, 'The India Rubber Man', because he made and wore clothes made from rubber.
  2. How did rubber get its name? Rubber was first used in America to rub out pencil marks.
  3. Why couldn't shoes be made from rubber at first? Rubber shoes became hard in the winter and melted in the summer.
  4. What happened when Goodyear mixed Sulphur with rubber? Rubber no longer got hard in the winter and melted in the summer.

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