Robert Chesebrough was a young businessman who got into a financial crisis. As a result, he tried his luck in the oil fields of Pennsylvania in 1859. His search turned out to be successful, but not in the way he had expected.
After his arrival, Chesebrough noticed that the oil works were complaining about so-called stick wax. Stick wax was a waxy substance that would stick to the drilling equipment. According to the oil workers, the only good thing about this stick wax was its ability to heal minor injuries quickly.
Fascinated by this strange substance, Chesebrough took a sample and brought it to his laboratory in Brooklyn and experimented with it.
He subjected himself to minor injuries and saw how they healed extremely quickly.
He named his discovery Vaseline, after the German word 'Wasser' (water) and the Greek word 'elaion' (oil). To promote his product, he gave a public presentation in which he injured himself and applied Vaseline. Soon he was selling Vaseline for all sorts of uses, from cleaning blocked noses to polishing furniture. By the end of the 19th century, Chesebrough was filthy rich and brought his petroleum jelly to Europe.
Shortly before his death at the age of 96, Chesebrough revealed that he had been eating a spoonful of Vaseline every day for years.
