All Things Bakelite: The Age of Plastic

"The Life and Times of Leo Baekeland"

In 1907, Belgian-born American chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland made one of the most transformative discoveries of the 20th century: Bakelite. It was the first wholly synthetic plastic and ushered in an explosion of new man-made materials that marked the beginnings of our modern industrial age.

Loading countdown...
747: The Jumbo Revolution

747: The Jumbo Revolution

2014

The Voice Beneath the Sea

1956

Le Nouveau monde

2017

Fur Trade

Fur Trade

1946

Made for Play: Board Games and Modern Industry

Made for Play: Board Games and Modern Industry

2013

Passfire

Passfire

2016

The Tobacco Conspiracy: The Backroom Deals of a Deadly Industry

The Tobacco Conspiracy: The Backroom Deals of a Deadly Industry

2011

Company Town

Company Town

2020

Conquest of Light

Conquest of Light

1975

Lingerie: The Industry Exposed

Lingerie: The Industry Exposed

1999

Television

Television

1939

Shenzhen: The Silicon Valley of Hardware

Shenzhen: The Silicon Valley of Hardware

2016

The Autobiography of a 'Jeep'

The Autobiography of a 'Jeep'

1943

Aluminum on the March

Aluminum on the March

1956

Seawards the Great Ships

Seawards the Great Ships

1960

Modern Marvels: American Steel: Built to Last

Le capiage

Le capiage

1949

Manufactured Landscapes

Manufactured Landscapes

2006

Yellow Tobacco from Quebec

Yellow Tobacco from Quebec

1951

Enterprise: A Documentary Film

Enterprise: A Documentary Film

1948