What was Silly Putty originally made for?
What was Silly Putty originally made for?
Silly Putty was invented by accident. During World War II, engineer James Wright was working for the U.S. War Production Board, trying to create an inexpensive substitute for synthetic rubber at a General Electric lab in Connecticut.
Why did James Wright create Silly Putty?
James Gilbert E. Wright (March 25, 1874 – August 20, 1961) was a Scottish-born inventor, researcher and chemical engineer at General Electric who invented Silly Putty in 1943 while looking for a replacement for rubber. The invention of Nutty Putty, later renamed Silly Putty, happened accidentally.
How did James Wright invented Silly Putty?
The Origins of Silly Putty® Wright was working for the U.S. War Production Board at the time. He was charged with finding a substitute for synthetic rubber that wouldn’t cost the government an arm and a leg to produce. He mixed silicone oil with boric acid and found that the compound acted very much like rubber.
What was the original name for Silly Putty?
Nutty Putty
It was during one of these attempts to create synthetic rubber that Wright mixed boric acid and silicone oil, making the first Silly Putty, which initially became known as “Nutty Putty”.
How did Silly Putty win the Cold War?
Oh, it’s Silly Putty. Silly Putty: the thing that won the Cold War. This is exactly the kind of useless consumer good that would never have been produced in the Soviet Union. And it is because we had so much more consumer spending, on stuff like Silly Putty, that we won the Cold War.
How much did Silly Putty cost in 1950?
With the help of part-time workers from Yale University, the putty was balled up in 1-ounce portions and tucked in plastic eggs (Easter lay ahead). The price was about $1 apiece. Hodgson got Doubleday bookstores to take his product. But Silly Putty sales didn’t really roll until August.
What is the main ingredient in Silly Putty?
Silly Putty is made primarily from silicone and color pigments. Silly Putty was discovered in 1943 by James Wright and introduced to the public in 1950 by Peter Hodgson.
How much did Silly Putty cost when it first came out?
Advertising consultant Peter Hodgson convinced Fallgatter to place globs of the goo in plastic cases and add it to her catalog. Selling for $2 each, the “bouncing putty” outsold everything else in the catalog except for a set of 50-cent Crayola crayons.
Who first sold Silly Putty?
Peter Hodgson
Silly Putty was discovered in 1943 by James Wright who mixed boric acid and silicone oil together. It was introduced to the public in 1950 by Peter Hodgson. Crayola acquired the exclusive manufacturing rights to Silly Putty in 1977.
What world leader gave the famous speech about the Iron Curtain?
Churchill’s famed “Iron Curtain” speech ushered in the Cold War and made the term a household phrase.