Final answer:
Europeans first saw rubber in the territories they colonized, such as the Congo Free State. The process of vulcanization, discovered by Charles Goodyear, revolutionized the use of rubber which became vital in creating products like tires and various elastomers. Synthetic rubber was later developed to meet the high demand generated by the popularity of bicycles and automobiles.
Step-by-step explanation:
Europeans first encountered rubber in the territories that they colonized, including the Congo Free State, where the locals were engaged in the laborious and often brutal task of harvesting rubber from wild rubber tree vines. This natural resource had been used by indigenous peoples in the Americas for centuries before Europeans arrived.
The advent of the vulcanization process discovered by Charles Goodyear in 1839 and later the development of synthetic rubber greatly expanded the industrial use of rubber products. Early synthetic rubber was polymerized isoprene, created in a laboratory in Germany in 1909, catering to the burgeoning demand following the popularity of bicycles and the development of pneumatic tires.
Natural rubber, mainly derived from isoprene polymers, was exploited for various uses, particularly after Europeans understood how to process it more effectively with sulfur and other chemicals to make it durable and resilient through vulcanization. Thomas Hancock and Friedrich Ludersdorf played critical roles in these early discoveries of vulcanization, making rubber an indispensable material for modern manufacturing. Thailand and Indonesia are currently leading producers of natural rubber which is used in a vast array of products ranging from tires to shoe soles.