About The First Vending Machine In America
The vending machine offered Adams Tutti Frutti gum to all the waiting passengers
The first vending machine in the United States dates back to the 19th century with the creation of the Thomas Adams Gum Company machine in 1888. Thomas Adams Gum Company, a chewing gum manufacturer, built and installed the first known vending machine in the United States on subway platforms of New York City. The machine dispensed Tutti-Frutti gum.
The NY Transit Museum states that vending machines were first introduced to the U.S. on New York’s elevated train platforms in the 1880s. The American National Standards Institute mentions that the first modern vending machine in the United States was built in 1888 by Thomas Adams Gums.
The Inventors note that the Thomas Adams Gum Company introduced the very first vending machines to the United States. And finally, The Western Illinois Museum describes it as the first vending machine in the United States.
Thomas Adams (1818–1905) was an American inventor and businessman, best known for his involvement in the chewing gum industry. He played a significant role in the popularization of chewing gum and is often credited with introducing the first commercially successful chewing gum in the United States.
In the late 19th century, Adams, a native of Staten Island, received a shipment of chicle, a substance obtained from the sapodilla tree native to Central America. He initially intended to use chicle to produce a rubber substitute, but when that venture failed, he turned his attention to creating a chewing gum.
Adams was the first to make gum using chicle from South America and the product, Chiclets, is still popular today. The name, Chiclets, comes from the Spanish word chicle, which means "chewing gum".
The machines quickly became popular, and other companies began to develop vending machines for products like cigarettes, matches, and even soda pop. The Thomas Adams Gum Company was a significant player in the history of chewing gum. Adams was originally a photographer and inventor, but he became interested in chicle, a substance derived from the sapodilla tree native to Central America.
Adams introduced his first chewing gum, called "Adams New York Gum," in 1871. The gum gained popularity, and Adams continued to experiment with different flavors and formulations. One of his successful products was Black Jack, a licorice-flavored gum. In 1888, his gum was the first to be sold in vending machines. Shortly after, New York City subway stations had thousands of vending machines.
Adams developed public acceptance of this new and unique product, forming the American Chicle Company in 1899. Adams tirelessly promoted the new product while serving as the company’s president for 23 years.
While the Thomas Adams Gum Company no longer exists as an independent entity, its legacy lives on through its contributions to the development and popularization of chewing gum in the late 19th century.
Today, the United States has an estimated 7 million vending machines, the most installed vending machines of any country in the world. The most sold products through vending machines are snacks, candy, cold food, and cold bottled beverages.