Elephants, Billiard Balls and New Discoveries

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At the end of the nineteenth century a shortage of elephants made the ivory used for making billiard balls almost unobtainable.  One New York Company offered a prize of $10,000 to anyone who could come up with a substitute for ivory.

An inventor called John Hyatt worked for seven years in an effort to win this prize.  He eventually combined collodion with camphor to make celluloid, the first mouldable plastic.

Although it wasn’t elastic enough for billiard balls, he soon found other uses for it.  Celluloid soon replaced horn, ivory and tortoise shell in knife handles, and piano keys.  And it revolutionised the manufacture of dentures.

The snag was that celluloid softens in hot liquid!  So the avid tea drinkers of the day ended up with curled teeth, looking a bit like Dracula.

The men, however, were happy to buy celluloid detachable collars and cuffs for their shirts.  Some wore the same shirts for weeks, only washing the collars and cuffs.  They were quick to wash and kept their shape, as long as cold water was used, and the men avoided getting hot under the collar!

Since celluloid is extremely flammable, it is rarely used today, except in ping pong balls.  It is still the best stuff for giving the right bounce to a table tennis game.

So next time, remember which ever way the ball bounces, shortages and accidents can sometimes lead to new opportunities.