The first synthetic plastic, Celluloid, was discovered in the US by John Wesley Hyatt in 1868 as part of a competition to find a replacement for the ivory used for billiard balls.  Just over forty years later in 1909, a Belgian chemist, Dr. Leo Hendrik Baekeland, developed a phenol formaldehyde plastic which became famous the world over as BakeliteO.  It was used in all sorts of applications, for pens, radios, handles for cutlery, even for jewellery  in the Depression.

The search for new materials continued and the industry really began to take off in the 1930s.  Plastics such as nylon, urethanes and fluorocarbons were developed.  Production of cellulose acetate, melamine and styrene moulding compounds began, as well as the production of the equipment needed to make the new products from these compounds.

During the Second World War, acrylic sheeting was used for aircraft windows and canopies.  Polyethylene and silicone resins were developed, as was a clear vinylidene chloride film, known commercially as Saran.  Polyethylene was first used for bottles and cellulose acetate for toothpaste tubes at this time.

Vinyl resins revolutionised the post-war world with the use of vinyl films, moulded acrylic tail lights for cars and backlit signs, as well as the first printed circuit boards.  Injection moulding became a commercial proposition leading to a great many colourful household goods and toys.

The chemists, meanwhile, were working away behind the scenes, developing materials like ABS, acetals, polyvinyl fluoride, ionomers, polycarbonates, liquid crystal polymers, polysulfones, etc..  The range of plastics available seemed to expand virtually by the day.  The production processes also improved, allowing a far greater and more exciting variety of products to use the new materials.  Today, we tend to take the presence of plastics for granted, but it's really less than one hundred years ago that their amazing properties first started to become widely used.  In that time, they have helped us to conquer space as well as improving our lives, both at work and at play.