1862 Parkesine
The first plastic-like substance débuted at the International Exhibition in London in 1869 when Alexander Parkes announced his discovery – ‘Parkesine’ – a plastic mass which could be moulded by machine into an infinite variety of products. Parkes started with ‘collodion’, a mixture of ether, alcohol and natural cellulose derived from cotton. The result was a jelly-like lotion which he hoped to cast into thick slabs. Unfortunately, the chemicals used to make the collodion
were too expensive, his financial backers got cold feet and Parkes’ enterprise went into receivership a few years later.
