1935: Nylon is produced for the first time.
Credit for the creation of this versatile synthetic goes to Wallace Carothers, a chemist who headed up DuPont's Experimental Station laboratory in Delaware.
Nylon is a synthetic fiber made from coal, water and air. Its first demonstrated use was as a toothbrush bristle in 1938. With the coming of World War II, however, nylon turned up almost everywhere: in parachutes, flak vests, combat uniforms and tires, among other things. It also became a staple in fabrics, carpets and ropes. In its solid form, nylon is also used as an engineering material.
But its most celebrated use, perhaps, is in women's stockings, where it has helped fuel the erotic fantasies of young men for several generations.
Carothers didn't live to see his discovery put to any practical use. He killed himself using cyanide in 1937 at age 41.
Source: Wikipedia
Image: DuPont
This article first appeared on Wired.com Feb. 28, 2007.
