BlackJack was a
licorice flavoured
chewing gum created by Thomas Adams of Staten Island,
New York in 1871. Adams was attempting to create a rubber substitute by vulcanizing
chicle, an experiment which ultimately failed. He went on to try boiling the
chicle and made
chewing gum. He added licorice to flavour the gum and began selling it at local stores.
BlackJack was the first flavoured
chewing gum in the
United States. BlackJack and other Adams gum products were the first to be sold by automatic
vending machines.
Production of BlackJack gum was discontinued in the 1970's due to low sales.