The timeline of plastic development
Discover how plastics have evolved and been utilised during our recent history.
| 1600 BCE | Mesoamericans used natural rubber for balls and figurines |
| 1000 BCE | First written evidence of shellac |
| Middle Ages | Europeans used treated cow horns as translucent material for windows. In Japan and China, ox horns are used for the same purpose, as well as for shades on oil lamps |
| 1284 | First recorded mention of The Horners Company of London, with horn and tortoiseshell as the predominant early natural plastic |
| 1823 | Macintosh uses rubber gum to waterproof cotton and the ‘mac’ is born |
| 1839 | Eduard Simon, a German apothecary, discovers polystyrene |
| 1844 | Thomas Hancock patents the vulcanization of rubber in Britain, immediately followed by Charles Goodyear in United States |
| 1845 | Bewley designs an extruder for gutta percha – a rubber elastomer from the tree of the same name |
| 1850 | First submarine telegraph cable in gutta percha is laid between Dover and Calais |
| 1856 | Parkesine, the first member of the Celluloid class of compounds and considered the first man-made plastic, is created by Alexander Parkes |
| 1862 | Display of Parkesine, predecessor of celluloid (cellulose nitrate), at the 1862 Great International Exhibition in London |
| 1869 | John Wesley Hyatt discovers a method to simplify the production of celluloid, making industrial production possible |
| 1872 | PVC was accidentally synthesized in 1872 by German chemist Eugen Baumann |
| 1872 | Hyatt brothers patented the first plastics injection moulding machine |
| 1880 | Fashion for long hair leads to cellulose nitrate replacing horn as the preferred material for combs |
| 1885 | George Eastman Kodak patents machine for producing continuous photographic film based on cellulose nitrate |
| 1889 | Eastman Kodak successfully filed a patent for the celluloid film |
| 1890s | Galalith, a plastic derived from casein (milk protein) is developed by Wilhelm Krische and Adolph Spitteler |
| 1890s | Auguste Trillat discovered the means to make casein insoluble by immersing it in formaldehyde, producing a material marketed as galalith |
| 1890 | Thermoforming is introduced, and used to make babies rattles from cellulose nitrate |
| 1892 | Viscose silk (rayon) developed by Cross and Bevan (Chardonnet Silk) |
| 1894 | Shellac phonograph records are developed and soon become an industry standard |
| 1898 | Polyethylene is first synthesised by the German chemist Hans von Pechmann while investigating diazomethane |
| 1898 | Beginning of mass production of rpm gramophone records from shellac |
| 1899 | Krische and Spittler in Germany are awarded a patent for Casein Plastic made from milk. Artefacts are introduced at the Plastics Universal Exhibition in 1900 |
| 1907 | Bakelite, the first fully synthetic thermoset, was reported by Leo Baekeland using phenol and formaldehyde |
| 1909 | Casein plastics, derived from milk, are developed by Erinoid |
| 1910 | Stockings made of viscose begin to be manufactured in Germany |
| 1912 | After over 10 years of research, Jacques E. Brandenberger develops a method for producing cellophane and secures a patent |
| 1915 | Queen Mary sees casein products at the British Industries Fair and orders several pieces of jewellery made from it |
| 1916 | Rolls Royce begins to use phenol formaldehyde in its car interiors - and boasts about it! |
| 1919 | Eichengrün produces the first cellulose acetate moulding powder |
| 1921 | Beginning of rapid growth of phenolic mouldings especially for electrical insulation, with addition of phenolic laminates in 1930 |
| 1922 | Staudinger publishes his work that recognises that plastics are composed of long chain molecules – leading to Nobel prize in 1935 |
| 1924 | Rossiter at British Cyanide develops urea thiourea formaldehyde resins, subsequently commercialised as the first water white transparent thermosetting moulding powder |
| 1926 | Harrods hosts its first display of new coloured thermosetting plastic tableware produced by Brookes and Adams, The Streetly Manufacturing Company and Thomas De La Rue and Co |
| 1926 | Eckert and Ziegler patent the first commercial modern plastics injection moulding machine |
| 1926 | Waldo Semon and the B.F. Goodrich Company developed a method to plasticise PVC by blending it with various additives. |
| 1929 | Bakelite Ltd receives its largest ever order for phenolic moulding powder for the casing of the Siemens telephone |
| 1930s | Polystyrene is first produced by BASF (Baden Aniline and Soda Factory) |
| 1930 | Neoprene is produced for the first time at DuPont |
| 1930 | ‘Scotch’ tape, the first transparent sticky tape is invented in the USA by 3M Company |
| 1931 | RCA Victor introduce their vinyl-based Victrolac compound for records. Vinyl records have twice the groove density of shellac records with improved sound quality |
| 1932 | Screw per-plasticisation in injection moulding patented |
| 1933 | British Plastics Federation is founded |
| 1933 | The first industrially practical polyethylene synthesis is discovered by Eric Fawcett and Reginald Gibson at the Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) works in Northwich, England |
| 1935 | Nylon is invented and patented by DuPont |
| 1935 | Troester in Germany produces the first extruder designed for thermoplastics. |
| 1935 | Carothers and DuPont patent nylon |
| 1936 | First production of aircraft canopies made from ‘Perspex’. |
| 1937 | Columbo and Pasquetti in Italy produce first twin screw extruder machine |
| 1937 | First commercial production of polystyrene by IG Farben, Germany |
| 1938 | Full scale production of nylon-6 fibre begins in United States |
| 1938 | Nylon is first used for bristles in toothbrushes. It features at the 1939 world’s fair and is famously used in stockings in 1940 |
| 1938 | Polytetrafluoroethylene (commonly known as Teflon), discovered by Roy Plunkett at DuPont. |
| 1939 | First commercial production of polyethylene in the UK by ICI |
| 1939 | WWII begins – strategic stockpiles, plastics are used in war |
| 1940s | Use of polyethylene in radar |
| 1940 | First production of PVC in UK |
| 1940 | DuPont introduces polyacrylonitrile (PAN), an early engineering product |
| 1941 | Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is discovered at the Calico Printers' Association in Britain. Expanded polystyrene is first produced |
| 1942 | ‘Super Glue’ (methyl cyanoacrylate) first discovered by Dr Harry Coover, Eastman Kodak |
| 1943 | First pilot plant for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE); to be marketed under trademark ‘Teflon’ |
| 1945 | The production of LDPE for the ‘Sqezy’ bottle by Monsanto caused a rapid expansion of the industry, with containers produced to replace glass bottles for shampoos and liquid soaps. |
| 1947 | Formica melamine faced decorative laminates are introduced into the UK |
| 1948 | Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) produced |
| 1948 | George de Mestral invents Velcro, patented in 1955 |
| 1948 | Introduction of 12” long playing records made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) |
| 1949 | First Airfix self-assembly model, initially made of cellulose acetate and later polystyrene |
| 1949 | High impact polystyrene is introduced as a commercial plastic |
| 1949 | Launch in US of Tupperware, made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE) |
| 1949 | ‘Lycra’ based on polyurethane is invented by DuPont |
| 1950s | The polyethylene bag makes its first appearance |
| 1950s | Introduction of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymers |
| 1950 | ICI opens a new factory at Redcar to produce Terylene |
| 1950 | DuPont begins the manufacture of polyester |
| 1951 | J. Paul Hogan and Robert L. Banks from Phillips polymerized propylene for the first time to produce polypropylene (PP) |
| 1951 | Festival of Britain |
| 1953 | Commercialisation of polyester fibres introduces the concept of ‘drip dry’ and ‘non-iron’ |
| 1953 | Polycarbonate is independently developed by Hermann Schnell at Bayer and Daniel Fox at General Electric |
| 1954 | Expanded polystyrene, used for building insulation, packaging, and cups was invented by Dow Chemical. |
| 1955 | First production of high-density polyethylene in the UK |
| 1956 | Reliant Regal 111, the first commercially successful all glass-reinforced-plastic bodied car goes on sale |
| 1956 | Eero Saarinen’s Tulip Chair launched, consisting of seat made of glass-fibre-reinforced plastic. |
| 1956 | DuPont files patents for the first acetals (POM) |
| 1957 | The hoop is reinvented as the Hula Hoop by Knerr & Medlin, Wham-O Toy Company |
| 1957 | Italian firm Montecatini begin large-scale commercial production of isotactic polypropylene using Ziegler-Natta catalysts |
| 1958 | First production of polycarbonates (Bayer and General Electric) |
| 1958 | Lego patents its stud and block coupling system and produces toys of cellulose acetate, later acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymer. |
| 1959 | Barbie Doll is unveiled by Mattel at the American International Toy Fair |
| 1960s | High-density polyethylene bottles introduced and soon replace glass bottles in most applications. Water based acrylic paints are also introduced |
| 1960 | Ethylene-vinyl acetate co-polymers launched by DuPont |
| 1965 | Kevlar developed at DuPont by Stephanie Kwolek |
| 1962 | DuPont launches polyimide films and varnishes |
| 1962 | Silicone gel breast implants pioneered successfully |
| 1966 | Blow moulding of fuel tanks introduced |
| 1967 | Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) ‘Blow’ chair designed by Scolari, De Pas and Lomazzifor manufactured by Zanotta |
| 1969 | Neil Armstrong plants a nylon flag on the moon |
| 1970 | First Yellow HDPE (high density polyethylene) pressure pipes for gas are introduced into UK by Wavin/British Gas |
| 1973 | Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) beverage bottles introduced |
| 1976 | Plastics, in its great variety of forms, becomes the most used type of material in the world |
| 1977 | Polyaryletheretherketone (PEEK) is first prepared by ICI |
| 1979 | Introduction of the first commercial mobile/ portable phones |
| 1979 | First PVC-U double-glazed windows installed |
| 1980s | Polyester film stock replaces cellulose acetate for photographic film and computer tapes. |
| 1980 | First production of linear low-density polyethylene (LDPE) |
| 1980 | First Blue HDPE pressure pipes for potable water introduced into UK |
| 1982 | First artificial heart made mainly of polyurethane is introduced and implanted in a human |
| 1983 | The slim plastic Swatch watch is introduced, made of 51 mainly plastic components |
| 1983 | ICI and Bayer launch PEEK, PPS (polyphenylene sulphide), and PES (polyether sulphone) |
| 1987 | BASF in Germany produces a polyacetylene that has twice the electrical conductivity of copper |
| 1988 | Introduction of triangular recycling symbols relating to plastics |
| 1988 | First polymer bank notes issued in Australia |
| 1989 | First light-emitting polymers (poly-ethyne) discovered in Cambridge |
| 1989 | The Gravimetric Batch Blender is invented by Steve Maguire revolutionising the industry and bringing affordable gravimetric blending to processors |
| 1990 | ICI launches Biopol, the first commercially available biodegradable plastic |
| 1991 | Dyson’s vacuum cleaner launched in Japan |
| 1994 | Smart car with lightweight flexible integrally coloured polycarbonate panels introduced |
| 1998 | Free standing Zanussi Oz fridge, with insulation and outer skins made in one process from polyurethane foam introduced |
| 2000s | Nanotechnology applied to polymer and composite applications |
| 2000 | First commercial metallocene catalysed polyolefins introduced |
| 2001 | iPod dreamed up by Tony Fadell, an independent inventor, developed by Apple Computers |
| 2005 | NASA explores the advantages of a polyethylene-based material RFX1, as the material for the spaceship that will send man to Mars |
| 2005 | Polycond project established to look at the potential of conductive polymers |
| 2008 | Airbus 380, comprising 22% carbon-fibre reinforced plastics flies into Heathrow |
| 2009 | Boeing 787, nicknamed 'Boeing's Plastic Dream' comes into service, its skin is made up of 100% Plastic composites with plastic making up 50% of all materials in the plane |
Sources
Information taken from the Wikipedia page “Timeline of Plastics Development”. Available at: BPF “A history of Plastics”.