NylonIn 1938, Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic fiber yarn: “nylon.” In an address in New York City, Dr. Charles M.A. Stine, vice president of du Pont de Nemours & Co., gave this with other details of what the company chemists had called simply “Yarn 66” during its development. The name they coined, “nylon” would be a generic name for all materials defined scientifically as “synthetic fiber-forming polymeric amides having a protein-like chemical structure; derivable from coal, air and water, or other substances, and characterized by extreme toughness and strength and the peculiar ability to be formed into fibers and into various shapes, such as bristles and sheets.” Hundreds of potential uses were envisioned, including hosiery, fabrics, fishing lines, wrapping film, toothbrush bristles and more.« |
