Nylon

Wallace Carothers, DuPont, USA, patent 2,130,947 of 1938. The first synthetic fiber, stronger than silk.

Overview

Carothers' polyamide research at DuPont yielded nylon 6,6, patented 1938 after his death by suicide in 1937. Stockings introduced at the 1939 World's Fair caused riots when scarce during the war. Parachutes went from Japanese silk to nylon overnight. Toothbrush bristles, ropes, and tires followed. The name's origin is still argued, No N Y L On or not London. Nylon proved polymers could be engineered like bridges, launching the age of designer materials.