1940s Stockings: Hosiery, Nylons, and Socks History
Learn about the turbulent history of 1940s stockings or Nylons. 1940s hosiery came with seams, fully fashioned legs, and in skin tone colors.

Posted on February 16, 2015 “Necessity is the mother of invention.” That old saying means that, when faced with a problem and trying to come up with a solution, people often come up with new ideas. They invent new procedures or create new devices. They innovate! In the 1930s, the U.S. faced the problem of having a pretty yucky relationship with Japan. And the relationship was getting worse and worse, not better. (In just a few years, the two nations would be fighting against each other in World War II!) One of the problems with a bad-and-getting-worse relationship with Japan was that the latter nation was the world's leading producer of silk. And Americans used and wanted silk. We didn't want to have to rely on an enemy for one of our favorite fabrics! So...the necessity of wanting to find a substitute for silk led to the invention of nylon! A bit of history, a dab of science... Today is the anniversary of the 1937 patent for nylon, issued to Wallace H. Carothers. Carothers and other chemists working for DuPont knew about polymers, huge molecules made of long chains of repeated elements. They were trying to come up with a polymer that would make a useful fabric, but as they created fibers, a small amount of water was produced; the water would drip back into the mixture and weaken the fibers. Carothers had to use a machine called a “molecular still,” which pulled out the fibers once they had cooled. Now the fibers were much longer and stronger, and more “elastic” or able to resume normal shape after being pulled or otherwise distorted. Nylon was soon being used for toothbrushes, women's stockings, parachutes, bridal veils, flak vests, carpets, tents, rope, and so much more! Nylon was the first commercially successful human-made polymer. Since its invention, many more polymers have been invented and sold and used and enjoyed. Just a few more include Kevlar, Mylar, Orlon, Teflon, and polyvinylchloride (PVC). To learn more, check out Kids' Macrogalleria. Also on this date: Presidents' Day Gambia's National Day Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays's birthday Anniversary of the opening of King Tut's burial chamber Lithuania's Independence Day Anniversary of the first Esperanto club in the U.S. Plan ahead: Check out my Pinterest boards for: February holidays February birthdays Historical anniversaries in February And here are my Pinterest boards for: March holidays March birthdays Historical anniversaries in March

1953 Cannon Stockings with Man Looking At Lady's Legs (Clothing) at Ads By Dee
1949 Nylon Stockings and Pajamas (Image1)

Last edited by Deadpool (2020-08-27 17:18:57)

M O R L E Y  .  N Y L O N S

Last edited by Deadpool (2021-09-12 21:05:52)

1920s France La Vie Parisienne Magazine Art Print by The Advertising Archives
$13.88 · 1920s France La Vie Parisienne Magazine art print by The Advertising Archives.
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/64- … =art-print

Last edited by Deadpool (2020-08-27 18:21:33)

JESS  DAVIES

Last edited by Deadpool (2021-09-12 21:07:10)

Last edited by Deadpool (2020-08-27 19:08:20)

Last edited by Deadpool (2020-08-27 20:55:01)

Merry Madeline Brown Bigelow calendar pin-up by FritzWillis

Gil Elvgren

Last edited by Tutra Cero (2025-03-30 19:31:13)

https://www.instagram.com/p/C1NiH3fp4bh/