Americans have John Wesley Hyatt to thank for altering the course of the marketplace forever when he developed the first plastic billiard ball.

During an experiment in 1870, Hyatt discovered that celluloid – a combination of cellulose, nitric acid, and camphor – was soft when warm, rigid when cold. Possible uses for the material seemed endless. By 1890 products made from celluloid, such as clock cases, dentures, toys, and combs, filled homes around the country, despite the fact it was highly flammable.

Plastics gradually became more versatile and colorful, using less flammable materials. Bakelite, acetate, rayon, and vinyl before 1930; acrylics, Formica, an nylon by 1940

Today plastic is made from synthetic resins derived from coal, natural gas, petroleum, and limestone – producing everything from football helmets to prostheses; credit cards to rocket parts.

©Lori S. Anton