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First recorded mention of The Horners Company of London, with horn and tortoiseshell as the predominant early natural plastic.

Vulcanised Rubber, Gutta Percha, Parkesine, Cellulose

Macintosh uses rubber gum to waterproof cotton and the ‘mac’ is born.

Polystyrene was discovered by Eduard Simon

Inventor Bewley produces natural rubber from the plant gutta percha. This plant became used regularly during the 19th century, especially to produce insulation for underwater telegraph cables.

First submarine telegraph cable in gutta percha laid between Dover and Calais

Alexander Parkes unveiled the first man-made plastic compound Parkesine, the predecessor of celluloid (cellulose nitrate), and exhibit it at Great International Exhibition in London. But it quickly disappeared from the public due to its high cost.

Failure of Parkesine led to the creation of Xylonite by hands of Daniel Spill. His company also went bankrupt after few years.

American inventor John W. Hyatt invented the Celluloid which enter mass production in 1872 and patented the first plastics injection the moulding machine. This is where the success story of plastic started.

George Eastman Kodak patents a machine for producing continuous photographic film based on cellulose nitrate.

Fashion for long hair leads to cellulose nitrate replacing horn as the preferred material for combs.

Thermoforming introduced and used to make babies rattles from cellulose nitrate

Viscose silk (rayon) developed by Cross and Bevan (Chardonnet Silk).

Two German researchers developed Galalith a type of plastic still in use mostly to make Buttons.

Beginning of mass production of RPM Gramophone records from Shellac.

Krische and Spittler in Germany awarded patent for Casein Plastic from milk. Artifacts introduced at the Plastics Universal Exhibition in 1900

Jacques E. Brandenberger invented Cellophane- a light, non-reactive, and easy-to-use a plastic compound that become very successful after DuPont made it waterproof in 1927. It remains widely used even today.

Casein plastics, derived from milk, developed by Erinoid.

stockings made of viscose (CA) begin to be manufactured in Germany

Queen Mary sees casein products at the British Industries Fair and orders several pieces of jewelry made from it

Rolls Royce begins to use phenol formaldehyde in its car interiors and boasts about it

Eichengrun produce the first cellulose acetate moulding powder

Beginning of rapid growth of phenolic moldings especially for electrical insulation, with addition of phenolic laminates in 1930

Staudinger publishes his work that recognizes that plastics are composed of long-chain molecules – leading to the Nobel prize in 1935

Rossiter at British Cyanide develops urea thiourea formaldehyde resins, subsequently commercialized as the first water-white transparent thermosetting molding powder.

Harrods hosts the first display of new coloured thermosetting plastic tableware produced by Brookes and Adams, The Streetly Manufacturing Company and Thomas De La Rue and Co.

Eckert and Ziegler patent the first commercial modern plastics injection moulding machine.

Bakelite Ltd receives its largest-ever order for phenolic moulding powder for the casing of the Siemens telephone

‘Scotch’ tape, the first transparent sticky tape invented in US by 3M Company

Screw per-plasticization in injection moulding patented

BPF founded

Fawcett and Gibson at ICI discover polyethylene

Crawford at ICI develops the first commercial synthesis of poly(methyl methacrylate)

Troester in Germany produce the first extruder designed for thermoplastics.

Carothers and DuPont patent nylon

First production of aircraft canopies made from ‘Perspex’.

Columbo and Pasquetti in Italy produce the first twin screw extruder machine

First commercial production of polystyrene by IG Farben, Germany

Full-scale production of nylon 6 fibre begins in the United States

First toothbrush with nylons tufts manufactured

Plunkett (DuPont) discovers PTFE

First commercial production of polyethylene in the UK by ICI

Outbreak of war – strategic stockpiles, plastics in war

Use of polyethylene in radar

First production of PVC in UK

DuPont introduces polyacrylonitrile (PAN), an early engineering product

Whinfield and Dickson, of the Calico Printer's Association of Manchester, patent "polyethylene terephthalate" (PET); followed by the creation of the first polyester fiber called Terylene.

‘Super Glue’ (methyl cyanoacrylate) first discovered by Dr. Harry Coover, Eastman Kodak

First pilot plant for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE); to be marketed under trade mark ‘Teflon’

The production of LDPE the Sqezy bottle by Monsanto caused a rapid expansion of the industry, with containers produced to replace glass bottles for shampoos and liquid soaps.

Formica melamine faced decorative laminates introduced into the UK

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) produced

George de Mestral invents Velcro, patented in 1955

Introduction of 12” long playing records made from polyvinyl chloride (pvc)

First Airfix self-assembly model initially made of cellulose acetate and later polystyrene

High impact polystyrene was introduced as a commercial plastic

Launch in US of Tupperware made from low-density polyethylene

‘Lycra’ based on polyurethane, invented by DuPont

the polyethylene bag makes its first appearance

Introduction of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymers

ICI opens new factory at Redcar to produce Terylene

Festival of Britain

Commercialisation of polyester fibers introduces the concept of ‘drip dry’ and ‘non-iron’

Polystyrene foam (introduced by Dow Chemical Co.)

First production of high-density polyethylene in UK

Reliant Regal 111, the first commercially successful all-glass-reinforced-plastic bodied car goes on sale

Eero Saarinen’s Tulip Chair launched, consisting of a seat made of glass-fiber-reinforced plastic.

DuPont files patents for first acetals (POM)

The hoop is reinvented as the Hula Hoop by Knerr & Medlin, Wham-O Toy Company

First production of polypropylene by Montecatini using Ziegler-Natta catalysts

First production of polycarbonates (Bayer and General Electric)

Lego patents its stud and block coupling system and produces toys of cellulose acetate, later Acrylonitrile- butadiene-styrene polymer.

Barbie Doll unveiled by Mattel at American International Toy Fair

introduction of water-based acrylic paints

Ethylene-vinyl acetate co-polymers launched by DuPont

DuPont launches polyimide films and varnishes

Silicone gel breast implants pioneered successfully

Kevlar® is first developed by DuPont

Blow moulding of fuel tanks introduced

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) ‘Blow’ chair designed by Scolari, De Pas, and Lomazzifor manufactured by Znaotta

Neil Armstrong plants a nylon flag on the moon.

First Yellow HDPE pressure pipes for gas were introduced into the UK by Wavin/British Gas.

Polyethylene terephthalate beverage bottles introduced

Plastics in their great variety of forms become the most used type of material in the world

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) was first prepared by ICI

Introduction of first commercial mobile/ portable ‘phones

First PVC-U double-glazed windows installed

First production of linear low-density polyethylene

First Blue HDPE pressure pipes for potable water were introduced into the UK.

First artificial heart made mainly of polyurethane, introduced and implanted in a human.

The slim plastic Swatch watch made of 51 mainly plastic components

ICI and Bayer launch PEEK, PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), and PES (polyether sulphone)

BASF in Germany produces a polyacetylene that has twice the electrical conductivity of copper.

Introduction of triangular recycling symbols relating to plastics

First light-emitting polymers (poly-ethyne) were discovered in Cambridge

The Gravimetric Batch Blender is invented by Steve Maguire revolutionizing the industry and bringing affordable gravimetric blending to processors

ICI launches Biopol, the first commercially available biodegradable plastic

Dyson’s vacuum cleaner launched in Japan

Smart car with lightweight flexible integrally coloured polycarbonate panels introduced

Freestanding Zanussi Oz fridge, with insulation and outer skins made in one process from polyurethane foam introduced

Nano-Technology applied to polymer and composite applications

First commercial metallocene-catalyzed polyolefins were introduced.

iPod dreamed up by Tony Fadell, an independent inventor, developed by Apple Computers

NASA explores the advantages of a polyethylene-based material RFX1, as the material for the spaceship that will send a man to Mars

Polycond project was established to look at the potential of conductive polymers

Airbus 380, comprising 22% carbon-fibre reinforced plastics flies into Heathrow

Boeing 787 (nicknamed' Boeing's Plastic Dream') comes into service, its skin is made up of 100% Plastic composites with plastic making up 50% of all materials in the plane.