Traffic Traffic Traffic Traffic... you get the picture.  As I sat in some of DC's infamous frustrations I popped in some bubble gum I had purchased just for this purpose.  Yes, a friend actually told me to try chewing gum when I was stuck in traffic as it has some sort of relaxing effect.  True?  I have no idea but I like it.

So, I got to thinking... how and when did people start chewing gum?  Perhaps this is one of those basic things where when I ask my friends they laugh and say "omg everyone knows that..." but hey, if I don't then maybe some of you do not either?  So let's begin our research.

According to About.com Thomas Chicle into automobile tires before creating chewing gum with an appealing flavor.  I wonder how that process went?  Hmm these tires are awful- but I am so hungry..???

According to Wrigley.com  the history of gum can be traced back to the numerous items that people have chewed throughout history.  For example, in ancient Greece and Turkey the resin of a certain type of tree was chewed.  It appears that the reason this was chewed was to clean teeth.

In New England, Indians taught early settlers to chew the resin type substance from spruce trees.  In the 1800s this gum was sold to the general public, thus creating the first chewing gum.

Much later, demand for chewing gum increased so significantly that using tree products to produce became difficult due to the amount of chicle, a milky substance, that could be delivered.  (for more on this see www.wrigley.com)

With production constraints, synthetic bases were developed to satisfy demand.  In the 1800s a dentist developed a chewing gum with a rubber base to provide exercise for the jaw and stimulation of the gums.

In the 1900s flavors were added and experimented with.  This later led to the cola flavored bubble gum I saw at the counter of 7-11 this morning.. I wonder if those Indians would be okay with where we have gone?

(Caveat- this information is based on internet research- aka if it is on the internet it must be true)