ABSTRACT
It was still necessary for chemists, engineers and others to develop the process and plant to put it into production on an industrial scale. This took several more years of further endeavour and Carothers died in 1937 at the early age of forty-one shortly before the discovery of nylon was announced to the world. It was first sold to the public in 1939 and was an instant success. It was realized that nylon has qualities that no other fibre-not even silk-possesses. It combines lightness with very great strength, dries quickly and needs little if any ironing. It can be used for making very sheer stockings, or very tough cord, or rope stronger than anything that can be made from natural fibre. The stockings made from nylon proved so popular that over 6o million pairs were sold in America in the first year of production. In Britain, as with polythene, all the available nylon was absorbed in the war effort. It was used in making parachutes and their harness and it made excellent towing ropes for gliders.
