- Your grandma's undies helped us win World War II.
Here's why: Nylon was one of the most
important technological breakthroughs of the 20th century.
In fact, it would earn the moniker,
the fiber that won the war.
It's also the reason women started shaving their legs.
In the 1930s, the United States imported 4/5
of the world's silk, and 90% of it came from Japan.
And 75 to 80% of that was used for women's hosiery,
specifically, silk stockings.
Because as lady hemlines grew shorter,
the need to cover scandalous lady skin with something,
anything, grew larger, but we won't get into that now.
Suffice it to say that American women
were wearing silk stockings.
Unfortunately, silk stockings didn't stretch.
They were delicate and ripped easily,
and they often required an extra garment
like a garter belt to hold them up.
Enter Harvard-trained scientist Wallace H. Carothers,
hired by the DuPont Company
to conduct research on synthetic materials and polyblends.
In 1939, Carothers invented Fiber 6-6,
or what would become known as nylon.
DuPont astutely recognized
the economic value of nylon as a silk replacement
and concentrated on manufacturing nylon stockings.
Within three hours of their experimental debut,
4,000 pairs of nylon stockings sold out.
Later that year, they were displayed
at the New York World's Fair,
and the next year, four million pairs of brown nylons
sold out within two days,
making a total sales figure of $9 million.
In 1941, the company sold $25 million worth of nylon yarn.
That's nearly $440 million today.
In just two years,
DuPont earned 30% of the women's hosiery market.
But all of that was about to change,
because stockings weren't the only thing made of silk.
Military parachutes and rope
were also made from the Japanese import.
After the Pearl Harbor attack,
the United States went to war against Japan,
and suddenly, the production of nylon
was diverted for military use.
It was used to make glider tow ropes, aircraft fuel tanks,
flak jackets, shoelaces, mosquito netting, hammocks,
and, yes, parachutes.
Eventually, even the flag planted on the moon
by Neil Armstrong would be made of nylon.
(dramatic music)
This is because nylon is a thermoplastic polymer
that is strong, tough, and durable.
It's more resistant to sunlight and weathering
than organic fabrics are,
and, because it's synthetic,
it's resistant to molds, insects, and fungi.
It's also waterproof and quick to dry.
By utilizing it during World War II,
we were better-equipped than our enemies
and more able to weather difficult conditions.
Back home, women missed their stockings.
At the time, they were made with a bold seam up the back.
After experiencing nylon stockings,
women didn't want to go back to silk,
so they did the next best thing:
they shaved their legs,
carefully applied a liquid silk stocking,
otherwise known as paint,
and lined the backs of their legs with a trompe-l'oeil seam.
I don't know how to pronounce trompe-l'oeil.
Trompe-l'oeil.
I don't know how to speak French.
Corbeil is a lie.
A bold new revolution was happening:
leg hair removal to replicate the appearance of stockings.
After the war, the trend continued to spread,
inflamed by the beauty industry's marketing.
After 1942, the only stockings available were those sold
before the war or bought on the black market.
One entrepreneur thief made $100,000 off stockings
produced from a diverted nylon shipment,
which is very messed up.
It's called war profiteering.
Everyone in America was coming together
to support the war effort.
And that includes women.
In fact, it was Adeline Gray, a woman,
who made the first jump by a human with a nylon parachute.
The Pioneer Parachute Company of Manchester,
working in concert with the DuPont Company,
developed a parachute made of material
that combined compactness with lightness,
resiliency, and strength.
On June 6th, 1942,
24-year-old Gray was the only licensed
female parachute jumper in Connecticut.
Her jump, performed before
a group of Army officials, was a success.
During the D-Day invasion,
airborne troops jumped with nylon parachutes
while the stealth Waco gliders
were quietly towed by nylon ropes.
Nylon's strength, elasticity, weight,
and resistance to mildew came through
when we needed it the most.
After the war, nylon stockings made a resurgence.
On one occasion, 40,000 people lined up
for a mile to compete for 13,000 pairs of stockings.
They remained standard in the industry,
and still to this day,
nylons are synonymous with pantyhose or tights.
In many fields, they are required for women,
including the military.
If a female wears a skirt,
she must wear stockings or hose underneath.
Even the beloved military poncho liner,
known as the woobie, is made of quilted nylon.
So go ahead, wrap yourself in the fabric that won the war.