1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey y'all, I'm Eves and you're listening to 3 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:09,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class, a podcast for people interested 4 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: in the big and small moments in history. Today is 5 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: February eighth. The day was February eighth, nineteen o nine, 6 00:00:28,360 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: Belgian chemist Leo Bakeland announced his invention of bake light 7 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:36,720 Speaker 1: to the public. Bake Light was the first truly synthetic resin. 8 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: Bakeland was born in Ghent, Belgium, in eighteen sixty three. 9 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:44,520 Speaker 1: He got his Bachelor of Science at the University of Ghent, 10 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:47,559 Speaker 1: and a couple of years later he received his Doctorate 11 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 1: of Science. Bakeland invented Velox photographic paper, and by the 12 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: late nineteenth century he was wealthy. He sold his Velox 13 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 1: paper rights to Eastman Kodak for a million dollars, and 14 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: at that point he moved into his snug Rock estate 15 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: in Yonker's, New York. There he had a home laboratory 16 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: where he worked with his assistant Nathaniel Thurlow. In the lab, 17 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:16,960 Speaker 1: Bakeland began experimenting with combinations of phenol and formaldehyde. Years 18 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:21,680 Speaker 1: earlier scientists experimenting with the substances reported that the combination 19 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:26,000 Speaker 1: formed a hard material. Other chemists had been working with 20 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:30,400 Speaker 1: phenol and formaldehyde to create a material that could compete 21 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: commercially with celluloyd, but they were unsuccessful. Bakland and Thurlow 22 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: began working on creating a synthetic shellac, since natural shellac 23 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 1: was in short supply. Shellac was used to insulate electrical cables, 24 00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,200 Speaker 1: but since it was made from a resident secreted by 25 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: a bug, there wasn't enough of it to meet demand. 26 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: They did create a phenol formaldehyde shellac called novoalak, but 27 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: it flopped. They switched gears to creating a synthetic resin 28 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:03,760 Speaker 1: that could infused in wood to strengthen it. Bakerland started 29 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: writing in a new laboratory notebook in June of nineteen 30 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 1: oh seven, documenting the test using the mixture on wood. 31 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,800 Speaker 1: In his June nineteenth entry, he wrote the following in part. 32 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:19,640 Speaker 1: All these tests were conducted and concentrated horizontal digester, and 33 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,960 Speaker 1: the apparatus was reasonably tight. Yet the surface of the 34 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: blocks of wood does not feel hard, although a small 35 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 1: part of gum that has oozed out is very hard. 36 00:02:29,800 --> 00:02:33,000 Speaker 1: At first, he called the substance substance d, but soon 37 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:36,239 Speaker 1: he began referring to it as bakelite with two a's. 38 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: In a lecture he gave to the New York section 39 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: of the American Chemical Society on February eighth, nineteen o nine, 40 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: Bakerland announced his invention. In it, he said, by the 41 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: use of small amounts of basses, I have succeeded in 42 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 1: preparing a solid initial condensation product, the properties of which 43 00:02:55,480 --> 00:03:00,960 Speaker 1: simplify enormously all molding operations. Bakelan took out more than 44 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,799 Speaker 1: four hundred patterns related to bake light. He started a 45 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: production in his laboratory using a machine called a bacalizer 46 00:03:08,680 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: that subjected early stages of the product to heat and pressure, 47 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 1: but when demands got higher, he formed a company to 48 00:03:15,919 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: manufacture and market his product. Bakelight was easily molded and 49 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: less expensive to make than celluloid. It also kept his 50 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,959 Speaker 1: shape once it was molded. At first, bakelit was used 51 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 1: in the automotive and electrical industries and products like radios 52 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:36,720 Speaker 1: and light bulb sockets, but soon it proved useful for accessories, jewelry, 53 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: and household items. The bakelight was eventually outclassed by other materials. 54 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: The invention of bake light kick started a wave that 55 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: made synthetic plastics ubiquitous and households and businesses everywhere. I'm 56 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:53,160 Speaker 1: each Chef Coote and hopefully you know a little more 57 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:57,120 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. 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