1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:10,240 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: a show for those who can never know enough about history. 4 00:00:15,320 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: I'm Gay Bluesier and today we're looking at a little 5 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: known footnote in the career of automaker Henry Ford, a 6 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: pet project that sought to make cars a renewable resource. 7 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: The day was January ninety two. American industrialist Henry Ford 8 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: received a patent for a plastic car body made from soybeans. 9 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: Ford had established a research laboratory devoted to finding new 10 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,239 Speaker 1: practical uses for soybeans. One of the most promising projects 11 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: they came up with was a kind of plastic made 12 00:00:56,040 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: from ground up soybeans and a mix of chemicals. When 13 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 1: he did, the soybean plastic could be molded into different 14 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 1: sized panels, which could then be fitted onto the steel 15 00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 1: frame of a car. Ford believed this new material could 16 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:15,039 Speaker 1: be a viable substitute for traditional metals, providing similar strength 17 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:18,959 Speaker 1: and safety, while also being much lighter, more eco friendly, 18 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:24,680 Speaker 1: and cheaper to produce. Henry Ford's surprising passion for soybeans 19 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: likely took root in his childhood, growing up on a 20 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:31,560 Speaker 1: rural farm in Michigan. As an adult, he remained a 21 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: friend of farmers, not only out of a sense of kinship, 22 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: but because they bought his company's tractors in large numbers. 23 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:42,399 Speaker 1: Because of that relationship, Ford was always on the lookout 24 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: for ways to bring farming and industry closer together. Most 25 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: of his efforts centered on the humble soybean, a crop 26 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: that was cheap and easy to grow, but it didn't 27 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: have much of a market outside of its use as 28 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:59,240 Speaker 1: animal feed. Ford recognized that if he could find a 29 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: way to use aybeans and manufacturing, it would boost the 30 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: income of his customers, who would then in turn buy 31 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: more of his tractors. With that goal in mind, Ford 32 00:02:10,080 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: built his own dedicated soybean research laboratory. The facility opened 33 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty and Greenfield Village, not far from the 34 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:23,240 Speaker 1: Ford factory in Dearborn, Michigan. Over the next decade, Ford 35 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: and his team they're experimented with all sorts of soy 36 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:31,519 Speaker 1: based oils, plastics, and polymers. They even consulted with agricultural 37 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 1: scientists George Washington Carver, hoping to make soybeans the next 38 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: big wonder crop, just as he had done with peanuts. 39 00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: During this time, Ford proclaimed the promise of soybeans every 40 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,600 Speaker 1: chance he got. At the nineteen thirty four World's Fair, 41 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: for example, he invited reporters to a special lunch where 42 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 1: everything served was made from soybeans, including soybean cheese and 43 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: soybean crackers, soy bread and soy butter, and even soy 44 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: ice cream for dessert. The American public wasn't sold on 45 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:07,320 Speaker 1: the culinary applications of soybeans, so Ford shifted his focus 46 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 1: to fashion. In nineteen thirty seven, he debuted soybean wool, 47 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,680 Speaker 1: a new fabric he proudly showed off by wearing his 48 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:18,920 Speaker 1: own soybean suit and tie. Of course, since Ford was 49 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: an automotive company first and foremost, the overarching goal was 50 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:26,799 Speaker 1: to find a use for soybeans in car production. The 51 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: lab made good progress on that in the late nineteen thirties, 52 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: using a plastic formed from soybeans to make small car 53 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: parts such as gear shift knobs. In nineteen forty one, 54 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: Henry Ford had a soybean plastic trunk installed in his 55 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: personal car so that he could easily demonstrate the strength 56 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: of the material while on the road, as captured in 57 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: a famous photo. Ford's favorite method was to strike the 58 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: trunk with an axe to show it couldn't be pierced 59 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: or crushed, although it likely helped that the sharp end 60 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 1: of the axe was fitted with a rubber boot. Later 61 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: that year, Ford took things to the next level by 62 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:08,040 Speaker 1: commissioning a car with bodywork made entirely from soybean plastic. 63 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: The design and construction of the soybean car prototype was 64 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 1: a group effort, but much of the credit belongs to 65 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,839 Speaker 1: Lowell E. Overly, a tool and eye designer, as well 66 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:22,120 Speaker 1: as to his supervisor, a chemist named Robert A. Boyer. 67 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:26,279 Speaker 1: The exact formula they used to make the plastic panels 68 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: has sadly been lost to time, but some sources claim 69 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 1: it included soybeans, wheat, hemp, flax, and a vegetable fiber 70 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 1: called Raymie, amongst other things. The only note on the 71 00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 1: matter we have from Overly himself is that it used 72 00:04:42,120 --> 00:04:47,039 Speaker 1: quote soybean fiber and a phenolic resin with formaldehyde used 73 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: in the impregnation. As obscure as that sounds, it's actually 74 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:55,960 Speaker 1: a fairly standard recipe for early plastics. Well apart from 75 00:04:55,960 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: the soybeans. The prototype car was unveiled by Henry Ward 76 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: himself in August of nineteen forty one at an annual 77 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: community festival called Dearborn Days. The automaker was quick to 78 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,479 Speaker 1: tout the many advantages of a soybean car over a 79 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: steel one. Not only was it lighter and therefore more 80 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:18,520 Speaker 1: fuel efficient, it was also easier to repair, since the 81 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: plastic body panels could be removed and replaced individually. Repairing 82 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,559 Speaker 1: the plastic car may have been easy, but making sure 83 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: it was safe was no simple task. Traditional cars are 84 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 1: able to withstand collisions thanks largely to the welded steel 85 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: panels that are attached to their metal chassis. Welding wasn't 86 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: an option with plastic panels, so Ford's team had to 87 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:45,719 Speaker 1: devise a new way to provide strength and durability. The 88 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: solution was a frame made of tubular steel, onto which 89 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,839 Speaker 1: fourteen plastic panels could be bolted, each of which was 90 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:56,360 Speaker 1: about a quarter of an inch thick. According to Ford, 91 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 1: that new method of construction, the one for which he 92 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:03,320 Speaker 1: later received his patent, actually made the car safer than 93 00:06:03,360 --> 00:06:06,239 Speaker 1: a traditional steel one, as it could be rolled over 94 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:10,479 Speaker 1: without being crushed. The rest of the car's design was 95 00:06:10,600 --> 00:06:14,719 Speaker 1: innovative as well. The windows were made of plexiglass sheets 96 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:17,719 Speaker 1: instead of glass, and the engine was designed to run 97 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:22,040 Speaker 1: on hemp fuel. Altogether, the changes resulted in a car 98 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 1: that weighed just under two thousand pounds, which was roughly 99 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,279 Speaker 1: a third lighter than the average car of the era. 100 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,839 Speaker 1: Henry Ford had three major reasons to invest in the 101 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:36,880 Speaker 1: development of a soybean plastic car. We've covered the first 102 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: two already, his lifelong interest in combining industry and agriculture, 103 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:44,480 Speaker 1: and his desire to make a safer, more fuel efficient car. 104 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:48,599 Speaker 1: But the third reason was perhaps the most practical of all. 105 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: His company had struggled with metal shortages during World War 106 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:55,880 Speaker 1: One and for years afterward, and Ford hoped that his 107 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: new form of plastic would eliminate the reliance on more 108 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: in DeMay and materials like metal. He poured millions of 109 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 1: dollars into the project and boasted that plant based plastics 110 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 1: would allow him to quote grow automobiles from the soil. 111 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: It's unclear whether that forward looking approach would have paid 112 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:19,640 Speaker 1: off for Forward or not. Before he could go into production, 113 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: the Second World War broke out and his company was 114 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: enlisted to build war vehicles for the U. S. Army. 115 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: The war effort left little time war resources for experimental projects, 116 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: and by the time the fighting was over, the dream 117 00:07:34,040 --> 00:07:39,880 Speaker 1: of a plastic car was too forward. Soybean Car never 118 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 1: made it into production, and the only finished prototype was 119 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: reportedly destroyed by one of its designers, Eugene Bob Gregory. 120 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: The fact that it no longer exists has led to 121 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:54,640 Speaker 1: rampant speculation about whether the car was really made from 122 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 1: soybeans at all. Some plastic engineers point out that soy 123 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: based plastics still aren't widely used today, as no one 124 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: has found a way to make them as strong as 125 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,800 Speaker 1: Ford claimed. The more likely explanation, at least according to 126 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: the doubters, is that Ford used a much more conventional 127 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: resin similar to bake light, that didn't contain any significant 128 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: amount of soy material. We'll never know for certain, since 129 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: the car was dismantled and few records were kept, which 130 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:28,400 Speaker 1: in itself looks pretty suspicious. It's possible that Ford exaggerated 131 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:32,079 Speaker 1: the role soybeans played in the project, but considering all 132 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:35,280 Speaker 1: the time and money he had dumped into soybean researched, 133 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:41,079 Speaker 1: and you're really blame him. I'm Gabe Blusier, and hopefully 134 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:44,199 Speaker 1: you now know a little more about history today than 135 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you enjoyed today's episode, consider keeping 136 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 1: up with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can 137 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 1: find us at t d i HC Show. You can 138 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:58,720 Speaker 1: also rate or review the show on Apple Podcasts, or 139 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,360 Speaker 1: you can send your feedback to directly by writing to 140 00:09:01,480 --> 00:09:05,560 Speaker 1: This Day at I heart media dot com. Thanks to 141 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 1: Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thanks to you 142 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: for listening. I'll see you back here again soon for 143 00:09:11,200 --> 00:09:13,079 Speaker 1: another day in History class.