The Man Who Invented Nylon

Abstract

When nylon, advertised as derived from coal, air, and water, was first formally announced to the public on Oct. 27, 1938, it seemed like a miracle product. A year and a half later, when nylon stockings were first put on public sale in the U.S., crowds of women pushed against store windows so hard that they broke them. This first completely synthetic polymer fiber initiated an eagerly embraced materials revolution in which tailor-made synthetic materials, many with properties superior to those of natural materials, were developed and applied to consumer products. Less than five years elapsed from the synthesis of the 6,6 polyamide by Wallace Hume Carothers in 1935 to full-scale production of nylon yarn—a virtually unprecedented achievement in American industry. Yet the development of nylon was not easy or inexpensive. It was the result of a long-term commitment to basic research made by Charles M. A. Stine, director of the chemicals department at DuPont. ...