Thomas Hancock founded the rubber industry in Great Britain. He was born at Marlborough in Wiltshire, England, the third of twelve children of a lumber merchant and cabinet maker. Around 1815 Hancock went into the stagecoach business with one of his brothers in London, England. The need for an effective waterproofing agent--for coaches, drivers, and passengers--drew Hancock's attention to rubber. In April 1820 he patented India-rubber springs for various types of clothing such as gloves and suspenders. The Hancock brothers then started an "elastic works" to manufacture items using the rubber springs.

Searching for a more effective way to process his raw material and use rubber remnants, Hancock in 1820 invented his most important device: the rubber masticator. He designed a machine with revolving teeth that tore up rubber scraps. To Hancock's surprise, the shredded bits adhered into a solid mass of rubber that could then be pressed in molds into...