February 16: On This Day in World History … briefly
The introduction of nylon stockings revolutionised the way forward for women.
1939: Americans go nylon crazy
‘Hurry while stocks last!’ said the shops – and hordes of American women did just that. The new kind of women’s stockings that went on sale on February 16, 1939, caused a frenzy.
The stockings were just too good to be true, sheerer than pure silk and stronger, easy to wash and dry, and unlike silk, they were so cheap that anyone could afford them.
The stockings were made of nylon, the miracle material patented by the Du Pont Company in 1937. Nylon was entirely artificial, a polymer made from chemicals. It is extremely tough, can be made into sheets, moulded to any shape or spun into the finest yarn. The man who discovered it, chemist WH Carothers, died soon after it was patented and never saw it made into a useful product.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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