http://www.collectorsquest.com/blog/2006/07/31/vintage-nylon-stockings/

http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0747-9360%28199123%298%3A1%3C4%3ATDGTTF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-7&size=SMALL&origin=JSTOR-reducePage
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-0678(199409)46%3A3%3C341%3ALTWOTT%3E2.0.CO;2-P

http://www.popula.com/items_fp/item_description.cfm?item_fp_ID=2528089

http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/wooda/39fair.html

http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/d8007.htm

http://heritage.dupont.com/touchpoints/tp_1935-2/depth.shtml

“Although having been patented in 1937, it wasn’t until 1939 that polymer 6.6 made its first appearance in the real world when it premiered at the New York World Fair where it created something of a stir amongst the American public. It also gained the more user-friendly name of ‘nylon’ here too, the ‘ny’ part of the name literally standing for the initials of New York.”

D. Rhees: “From ‘Merchants of Death’ to ‘Better Living Through Chemistry’: The Case of Du Pont”
“Better Things for Better Living… Through Chemistry” is a familiar slogan that came to epitomize the public image of chemistry in the United States for generations. Less familiar are the reasons why the Du Pont Company invented this slogan, which are rooted in a major public relations crisis that stemmed from its role as a munitions producer during World War I. This crisis, in which Du Pont was branded as a “merchant of death” in the public press in 1934, triggered more than a slogan, but gave rise to a broad-based advertising campaign that utilized a wide variety of educational and popular media. These techniques included sponsorship of a national radio show, films, pamphlets, a speaker’s bureau, and a remarkable series of exhibitions on the theme of the “Wonder World of Chemistry” which appeared at major science museums and state and world’s fairs. To design, execute, and evaluate this campaign, Du Pont relied on a bevy of new “experts”, including industrial designers, public relations “counselors”, and even psychologists. This episode illustrates the ways in which the public image of chemistry in the 20th century was significantly shaped by corporate needs and modern public relations techniques.

 

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