Which inventor developed vulcanized rubber, patented in 1844 to make rubber more durable?

Charles Goodyear developed vulcanized rubber, patented in 1844 to make rubber more durable.

Goodyear discovered that heating natural rubber with sulfur produced a material that was stronger, more elastic, and less affected by heat or cold. The process became known as vulcanization, a name associated with Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.

Natural rubber had serious practical weaknesses before vulcanization. It could become sticky in hot weather and brittle in cold conditions. Vulcanized rubber solved much of that problem and opened the way for dependable industrial products.

A common mix-up is crediting Goodyear with inventing the automobile tire. He did not. His process created the durable rubber material later used in tires, hoses, belts, footwear, and many other goods. Thomas Hancock independently developed and patented a related vulcanization process in Britain.