Introduction: Many of today’s greatest inventions have been created by “accident” , meaning that these products were created in the midst of a scientist trying to make something else. Three of these products, two of which were staples during many of our childhoods, are things we could not imagine a time without them. The “accidents” we will be focusing on are nylon (yes, the material panty hose are made of), Silly Putty®, and the bouncy ball.
Nylon
Nylon, a synthetic polymer fiber, was invented by Wallace Hume Carothers at the E.I. DuPont de Nemours Company in Delaware in 1934. Nylon stockings became a huge hit as soon as they were released during World War II after a public supply cut-off.
Although Carothers receives recognition for the creation of the polymer, another DuPont employee may the actual inventor. Julian Hill worked with Carothers, and had spent time developing a process where a long fiber with a silky texture could be created of carbon polymers. Carothers may have had a psychological issue, and committed suicide in 1937. The company accredited the invention of nylon to him in honor of him. Nylon was created entirely from petrochemicals unlike previous artificial fabrics like rayon and acetate, which were plant based. Nylon was designed as a synthetic silk for women’s stockings. The material was intended to be less expensive while adding qualities such as strength and insulation. Nylon is not only used in stockings, but is also used in an enormous amount of other products, including basketball nets, carpeting, clothing, fishing line, guitar strings, surgical sutures, tennis racquet strings and vehicle upholstery, among others. Nylon has even been to the moon. On the first trip to the moon, the astronauts wore space suits containing nylon fibers. The flag that Neil Armstrong planted there was also made of nylon.
Silly Putty One of the most important resources needed for World War II war production was rubber. It was essential for tires and boots, which kept the soldiers moving. It was also important for gas masks, life rafts, and even bombers. Early in the war, Japan attacked many of the rubber producing countries in Asia which drastically affected the supply route. Due to this rubber was being conserved back in the US. Civilians were also asked to donate old rubber products, and there were numerous propaganda posters instructing people on the importance of carpooling to save tires, and taking care of the rubber products at home so they would last the duration of the war. Silly Putty was truly created by accident. In 1943, engineer James Wright was attempting to create a synthetic rubber that had similar properties, but that could be made with non-restricted ingredients when he found something unusual. In a test tube, he had combined boric acid and silicone oil, producing an interesting gob of goo. Silly Putty. Wright performed several tests on the substance and found that it could bounce when dropped, stretch farther than regular rubber, didn’t collect mold, and had a very high melting point. Although it was interesting, it didn’t contain the properties of rubber that were needed. Wright, nor other scientists could find a practical use for the substance. Even though the substance was not practical, it continued to be entertaining. The “nutty putty” was passed around to family and friends. It was even taken to parties to be dropped, stretched, and molded to the delight of many. In 1949, Ruth Fallgatter, a toy store owner, took the putty and put it in her toy catalog. It was a great seller, but was dropped from the catalog the next year.
Peter Hodgson, Fallgatter’s advertising agent, saw opportunity in the putty. He bought a large quantity of it and had Yale students separate it into one ounce balls and place them in red plastic eggs. After many name suggestions, he settled on the same “Silly Putty.”
FUN FACT: Silly Putty was originally a toy for adults, but became popular with children by 1955.
Bouncy Ball Yet another polymer was discovered by accident. In 1965, Norman Stingley, a chemical engineer at Bettis Rubber Company, decided to do some off the record experiments with the chemicals at Bettis. One day, he created this “gooey, rubberlike” material and compact the material with around 3,500 pounds of pressure. Turns out, the substance was able to withstand and keep its shape even under this amount of pressure, though if the material was struck too hard, it crumbles. This material, through observation by Stingley, could bounce to tremendous heights. Stingley had made a synthetic rubber! Stingley, through loyalty, offered the invention to his own company, but they denied it, saying it was too risky and why would anyone want to play with something that could possibly fall apart. Thankfully, another company wanted Stingley’s accidental polymer, and Stingley’s gooey substance became the “Wham-O Superball”. Several more tests were completed on the material to make it stronger, and eventually Stingley tweaked the formula enough to apply for a patent for his material called “Zectron” in August 1965. Some fun facts about the Superball is that there is no other ball in history that exhibits the same bouncing quality and pressure resistance as the Superball. Also, the term “Super Bowl” came from the super ball. The owner of the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs was thinking about how to make the title of the contest between the NFL and AFL catchier. Then, Lamar Hunt, owner of the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, thought about how he saw his daughter playing with a “high-bouncing” Super Ball a few days prior. A little word placement, and eventually the word “ball” changed to “bowl” and the rest is history.