filament, nylon

Nylon was the first fiber made entirely in a laboratory. In 1928, E. I. DuPont de Nemours, hired Dr. Wallace Carothers to conduct pure research in any area of chemistry he chose. He had a great interst in long chain polymers, and his research in that area to the nvention of nylon. The American public was introduced to nylon in the form of women's stockings at the 1939 World's Fair. The stockings were a success, and within two years nylon was taking twenty percent of the stocking market. When the U.S. entered World War II, nylon was withdrawn from civilian use, as it was needed for the war effort. So many military uses were found for nylon it became known as the "fiber that won the war."

This is the first nylon filament, made from the first batch of nylon made at DuPont's first nylon factory, in Seaford Delaware. Also in the picture is the first pair of experimental nylon stockings made by the Union Hosiery Co. for DuPont in 1937. The leg area of the stockings is nylon, while the welt, toe and heel are silk. Cotton thread can be found the seam. The nylon yarn would not take the silk dye, and dyed to black rather then brown.

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