Nylon Patented: Carothers Revolutionizes Materials
Wallace Carothers, a brilliant but depressive organic chemist at DuPont, synthesized the first nylon polymer in 1935 and patented it on February 16, 1937. Nylon was the world's first fully synthetic fiber, produced entirely from coal, water, and air rather than biological materials like silk, cotton, or wool. DuPont introduced nylon stockings to the public in 1940, selling four million pairs in the first four days. When World War II began, nylon production was diverted entirely to military use: parachutes, tire cords, ropes, and flak vests. Women's stockings became so scarce that a black market emerged, and 'nylon riots' broke out when limited supplies returned after the war. Carothers never saw any of it. He swallowed a capsule of potassium cyanide in a Philadelphia hotel room on April 29, 1937, two months after receiving his patent. He was forty-one. His invention generated billions for DuPont and launched the entire synthetic materials industry.
February 16, 1937
89 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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