Stories
Fascinating tales from the world of materials science, engineering innovations, and the discoveries that shaped human civilization.
- Plastics
- Innovation
- Materials Science
- History
- Chemistry
- Agriculture
- War
- Electronics
- Computing
- Archaeology
- Hunter-Gatherers
- Pottery
- Nanotechnology
- Metallurgy
- Photography
- Physics
- Medicine
- World War II
- Penicillin
- Steelmaking
- Industrial Revolution
- Trade
- Copper Age
- Bell Labs
- Engineering
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Billiard Balls and the First Commercial Plastic
In 1869, John Wesley Hyatt invented celluloid as a substitute for ivory billiard balls, creating the first commercially successful plastic.
- Plastics
- Innovation
- Materials Science
- History
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Bakelite: Born from Shellac Shortage
In 1909, Leo Baekeland invented Bakelite, the first fully synthetic plastic, as a replacement for scarce shellac in electrical insulation.
- Plastics
- Innovation
- Materials Science
- History