Episode details

World Service,24 Aug 1999,4 mins

The Invention of Polythene

My Century

Available for over a year

The chemist Anthony Willbourn tells the dramatic story of the discovery of polythene by Eric Fawcett and Reginald Gibson - who first produced it by accident in 1933. Among other uses, Polythene was a vital ingredient in the development of radar in World War Two.

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