She Begged to Differ

     The lady who came to my yard sale and inspected an old jewelry box didn't "beg to differ."  When I told her about the box's history, she didn't even utter an abrasive, "I'm sure you're wrong."  She looked me in the eye and said, "I'm not buying that."  Had I been called a liar?
     The item I offered for sale was given to me by a family friend in the 1970's.  She used it for all of her adult life, but when I admired it, she insisted that I take it.  I enjoyed it for many years, but I'm ready to part with it now.  I explained how I acquired the box and stated that it had to be at least eighty years old.  My yard sale customer opened the lid and informed me that the box was lined with a sheet of plastic.  "They didn't have plastic back then," she stated with authority.
     "Well, plastic has been around for quite a while.  One of the first plastics was something called Bakelite," I responded.  I was trying to educate, but in a nice way.
     She went on to tell me that the condition of the box was too good, so it must be a reproduction.  My mother told me not to argue with people in situations like this, so I shut up.  After a few comments to her companion, the disbeliever left.
     This incident piqued my curiosity about plastics.  My parents were the ones who told me about Bakelite.  Bakelite, developed in 1907, was used for radio and camera casings, jewelry, and children's toys.  I remember the dishes my mother used when we were kids in the 1950's, indestructible stuff called Boontonware.  These dishes were made from melamine resin or melmac, a plastic that went into commercial use in the 1940's.  Food has been wrapped in clear, crinkly cellophane since the 1930's.
   
     Here are some other plastic milestones:

1839 - Polystyrene was discovered by Eduard Simon.  Yogurt cups, CD cases, and disposable razor handles are made from polystyrene.

1862 - Parkesine was patented by Alexander Parkes, but he had financial difficulties making Parkesine a success.  One of the first uses for early plastics was making artificial ivory for billiard balls.  There was so much demand for ivory that people began to worry about hunting elephants to extinction.

1869 - Xylonite was a plastic developed by Aleander Parkes and Daniel Spill.

1863-1872 - Various inventors worked with Parkesine and Xylonite to develope a product that was called Celluloid.  Think the first motion picture film.

1872 - Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) - The handles of Swiss Army knives are made from PVC.

1933 - Polyvinylidene Chloride - Ralph Wiley, a Dow Chemical worker, accidentally discovered the chemical that became known as Saran Wrap®.

1938 - Dr. Roy Plunkett discovered Teflon®.

1954 - Styrofoam - Ray McIntire figured out how to foam polystyrene.  Think cups, coolers, and packing peanuts.

     I'd like to thank the lady who didn't believe me.  Learning should be lifelong, and she inspired me to educate myself.  For this, I am grateful.  Well, at least my jewelry box is authentic.