September 20, 1938: The Success and Tragedy of Nylon

Wallace Hume Carothers

September 20, 1938: The chemical company DuPont de Nemours, Inc. obtains a patent for nylon, changing clothing forever.

Researchers at DuPont began developing cellulose-based fibers, culminating in the synthetic fiber rayon. Their experience with it was an important precursor to its development and marketing of nylon.

Their invention of nylon spanned an eleven-year period, ranging from the initial research program in polymers in 1927 to its announcement in 1938, shortly before the opening of the 1939 New York World's Fair. The project grew from a new organizational structure at DuPont, suggested by Charles Stine in 1927, in which the chemical department would be composed of several small research teams that would focus on "pioneering research" in chemistry and would "lead to practical applications."

Harvard instructor Wallace Hume Carothers was hired to direct the polymer research group. Initially he was allowed to focus on pure research, building on and testing the theories of German chemist Hermann Staudinger. Research he undertook greatly improved the knowledge of polymers and contributed to the science.

Nylon was the first commercially successful synthetic thermoplastic polymer. Nylon 66 was synthesized on February 28, 1935, by Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station, on the banks of the Brandywine Creek in Wilmington, Delaware. In response to Carothers' work, Paul Schlack at German company IG Farben developed Nylon 6, a different molecule, on January 29, 1938. But, with his 3-year head-start, Carothers got the patent first.

Or, rather, his estate got it: Plagued by depression, Carothers died in Philadelphia on April 29, 1937, one day after drinking potassium cyanide. He was only 41 years old, and had married a fellow chemist, Helen Sweetman, only the previous year. His sister Isobel had died a few weeks earlier, and that may have put him over the edge. His daughter Jane was born after his death.

Nylon was first used commercially in a nylon-bristled toothbrush that year, followed more famously in women's stockings or "nylons" which were shown at the 1939 World's Fair, and first sold commercially in 1940. They became an instant commercial success, with 64 million pairs sold during their first year on the market. During World War II, almost all nylon production was diverted to the military for use in parachutes and parachute cord. Wartime uses of nylon and other plastics greatly increased the market for the new materials.

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September 20, 1938 was a Tuesday. There were 4 baseball games played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 5-4 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Lou Gehrig went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Joe DiMaggio went 1-for-5 with an RBI. Monte Stratton outpitched Bump Hadley.

Stratton made only 1 more major league appearance. On November 27, he lost a leg in a hunting accident on his farm in Greenville, Texas, but came back to play again in the minor leagues, although not the majors. Jimmy Stewart starred in the 1949 film The Stratton Story.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Washington Senators, 9-1 at League Park in Cleveland.

* And the Boston Red Sox swept the St. Louis Browns, 12-8 7-2 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. Jimmie Foxx hit his 46th home run of the season in the nightcap. He would hit 50. Hank Greenberg of the Detroit Tigers would hit 58, a total that Foxx had reached with the 1932 Philadelphia Athletics.