The bane of the classroom teacher has been around for over 5,000 years, and now we have an official National Gum Day on September 30. Fortunately for those students who would find a way to celebrate National Gum Day and get their behavior sticks pulled, class marks lowered or even sent to the principal’s office, the date falls on Saturday for 2023.
So, let’s look at this anomaly called chewing gum. Various forms of chewing gum have existed since the Neolithic period. In 2007, a British archaeology student discovered a 5,000-year-old piece of chewing gum made from bark tar with tooth imprints in it.
In 1848, John B. Curtis developed and sold the first commercial chewing gum, which was called “The State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum.”
Since then, there have been many other iterations in order to get to our current Dubble Bubble of today.
In celebration of National Gum Day, it is interesting to know that studies show chewing gum helps improve memory, reduce stress and increase alertness. In addition, chewing sugar-free gum improves overall oral hygiene while also helping to curb cravings and improving digestion.
Next year, National Gum Day is on a Monday so students will be back to sneaking in the celebration, unless using a convincing argument for improved memory and increased alertness is enough to win the day.
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