Adams was fascinated by the chicle plants Santa Anna had brought over from Mexico. While in New Jersey, Santa Anna met Thomas Adams, a spirited businessman and inventor.
Following his defeat at the end of the Texas Revolution, Santa Anna sought shelter away from Central America–first in Jamaica, then in New England. The chicle plants that produced the first batches of Black Jack gum were actually brought over to the United States by the then-exiled Mexican President Santa Anna.
Keep scrolling for two more fascinating stories behind this daring original! Needless to say, Black Jack is a pioneer and has no problem being first. Not satisfied with just one innovation, Adams also decided to form this “Black Jack” gum into uniform sticks, as opposed to the crudely-shaped pellets that were common for the day, encouraging almost every subsequent gum brand to follow suit. In 1884, Thomas Adams added licorice flavor to his then-flavorless chewing gum, creating Black Jack–the first flavored gum to be sold in the United States.
