Natural rubber is obtained from the rubber tree or its milky sap. The tree is called Hevea brasiliensis in Latin. Its characteristics were already known in the 17th century and were used for various things. Charles Goodyear, however, brought natural rubber into the most diverse areas of commercial use through the invention of vulcanisation. It was here that the natural material was first used to make waterproof shoes, our rubber boots of today. The sap of the rubber tree, the latex, is extracted through incisions. This, in combination with other materials, is how our rubber boots made of natural rubber are made today.