Walter Diemer Never Expected His Bubble Gum to Last

Walter Diemer, an accountant at Philadelphia’s Fleer Corporation, developed bubble gum in 1928 while watching a test batch of gum. His invention became Dubble Bubble, an enduring American confection that spread from children’s pastime to baseball culture, where players used it as an alternative to chewing tobacco and bubble-blowing contests became a novelty. Diemer later recalled that he never expected the product to last.