††Nylon is a very tough, flexible, plastic substance used today for the manufacture of textiles, ropes, tennis racket strings and many other industrial and household goods.
Dr Wallace Carothers patented nylon in 1934. He had been searching for an artificial material to replace silk, and his American DuPont company used the new fabric to make stockings. These were an alternative to the rayon version which had been available since 1910.
Nylon first went on sale as toothbrush bristles in 1934. It was only available as yarn by 1939.
When used as a solid plastic, nylon has a number of other useful properties. Nylon yarn is strong, and absorbs less water than either cotton or silk. It is hard-wearing and does not cause much friction. This makes it a good material for making some kinds of moving parts of machines.
