A Brief History of "The Big Thing"
1900s
THE BIG THING
Plastics Bakelite is not sexy. But when New York chemist Leo Baekeland invented it in 1907 by tightly controlling the heat and pressure of volatile chemical reactions, he created the first completely synthetic substance. Hardened and shaped, Bakelite--or phenol formaldehyde--was impervious to heat, acids and electricity, allowing its use in everything from cookware to adhesives to car electrical systems. Chemists were soon making all sorts of polymers, launching a plastic century.
WHAT IT LED TO:
Cellophane, nylon, Teflon, Velcro, acrylic, Plexiglas, spandex, polyester, PVC, that famous line in The...
