• Invented in 1888 by John Dunlop
• Able to be refilled with air
• Used by Andre Michelin on automobiles in 1895
• In 1911, Philip Strauss successfully markets this tire through his company, The Hardman Tire and Rubber Company

 The pneumatic tire was the first inflatable tire, which was actually invented for bicycles. A Scottish veterinarian, John Dunlop, invented the first pneumatic tire and patented it as a bicycle tire in 1888. Dunlop soon decided to market his idea through The Dunlop Company, a partnership with Harvey du Cross, Jr. Later, his company merged with The Goodyear Company.

The application of the pneumatic tire to the automobile industry by Andre Michelin revolutionized the development of the car. This tire did not become commonplace until John Strauss marketed it with The Hardman Tire and Rubber Company. It was soon popularized for use on bicycles and cars. Few changes such as tubeless tires and treads (grooved tires) have led to the modern tire that we use today. After many mergers, the Goodyear Company has become the major tire company of our era. The Goodyear Company has contributed to the modern tire through innovations such as adding carbon to the rubber in tires (1910) and using synthetic rubber for tires (1931).

*Picture from Encarta Encyclopedia

About Inc. History of Tires. Retrieved March 17, 2004. <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bltires.htm#tyre>

• Can be used to supplement other pneumatic tire references. It is not very detailed but had the basic outline needed for general information.