The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company was founded on this day in 1900. Tires are a relatively recent invention. The earliest types of tires were leather bands wrapped around a wooden wheel. This was later replaced by steel bands.
Eventually these were replaced by rubber tires thanks to Charles Goodyear. Goodyear discovered vulcanization, which is when rubber is heated with sulfur, a process that "turns rubber from a sticky soft material, into something firm pliable material making rubber perfect for tires.
Once vulcanization became more refined, rubber became the new material of choice for tires. They were strong, could take reasonable amounts of damage and had good shock absorption. However, they were heavy and still gave an uncomfortable ride." Source
In 1888, John Dunlop created the first successful air-filled pneumatic tires for bicycles to create a smoother ride. These tires were later developed for all types of vehicles.
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