William Finley Semple, a dentist from Mount Vernon, Ohio, USA, obtained the first US patent for chewing gum. Dr. Semple planned to make his gum out of rubber.Dr. Semple was known for his painful extractions, so perhaps it's just as well he never bothered to manufacture his early version of chewing gum! In 1869 Dr.Semple was issued a patent for this invention from the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). There was 1 document on file for this patent. The drawing specification sheet of the patent has been reproduced from original USPTO documents and printed onto parchment paper. This print is sized and ready to install into an 8" x 10" frame. The additional sheets included are printed on 5.50" x 8.50" parchment paper. These accompanying documents describe the scope of this invention in formal terms. The following is an actual excerpt from the patent…

       " The nature of my invention consists in compounding with rubber, in any proportions, other suitable substances, so as to form not only an agreeable chewing-gum, but also, that from the scouring-properties of the same, it will subserve the purpose of a dentifrice"…