Once upon a time there were no Plastics!

We had wood and steel and organic materials and most things were handmade or finished by hand and, yes, cost rather more.

But then the furniture or cooking appliance lasted and our clothes were sturdy and the oilskin were made with whale oil.

Then came plastics, I still remember Bakelite, electric switch covers, radio casings, kitchenware and even pipe stems were made of the stuff. It was developed by a Belgian chemist back in 1907, Leo Baekeland, then living in New York.

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