Nylon and Bombs: DuPont and the March of Modern America (Studies in Industry and Society)

What do nylon stockings and atomic bombs have in common? DuPont. The chemical firm of DuPont de Nemours pioneered the development of both nylon and plutonium, playing an important role in the rise of mass consumption and the emergence of the notorious "military-industrial complex." In this fascinating account of the lives and careers of Du Pont’s chemical engineers, Pap A. Ndiaye deftly illustrates the contribution of industry to the genesis of a dominant post–World War II "American model" connecting prosperity with security. The consumer and military dimensions of twentieth-century American history are often studied separately. Ndiaye reunites them by examining Du Pont's development of nylon, which symbolized a new way of life, and plutonium, which was synonymous with annihilation. Reflecting on the experiences and contributions of the company's engineers and physicists, Ndiaye traces Du Pont's transformation into one of the corporate models of American success. The Johns Hopkins University Press Translator’s Note vii Introduction 1 DuPont and the Rise of Chemical Engineering 5 From Ammonia to Nylon: Technologies and Careers 63 Culture and Politics at DuPont before World War II 106 The Forgotten Engineers of the Bomb 141 The Heyday and Decline of Chemical Engineering 179 Conclusion 229 Notes 235 Essay on Sources and Historiography 267 Index 283 Illustrations appear following page 140. DuPont and the rise of chemical engineering From ammonia to nylon : technologies and careers Culture and politics at DuPont before World War II The forgetten engineers of the bomb The heyday and decline of chemical enineering.