Source: www.stockingshq.com

Stockings as we know them began life back in the early 1940s. But we need to go even further back, to 1930, to find out exactly how they came to be. It all started one day in a laboratory in Wilmington, Del...

Julian Hill was a researcher for the DuPont Company who, along with others in the lab, was studying chains of molecules called polymers. They were trying to find a silk substitute. Hill made the discovery that when a heated rod was pulled from a jar containing a mixture of carbon- and alcohol-based molecules, the substance inside stretched. When pulled at room temperature it became silky in appearance.

Everyone in the lab was pretty excited about the discovery, except for Hill's boss, Wallace Carothers. He just couldn't imagine a good use for the stuff, and it wasn't until 1935 that the researchers produced the first genuine nylon, then known as "polymer 6,6." Two years later DuPont received the patent for the first truly synthetic, artificially made fiber.

Wallace Carothers is the man accredited with inventing nylon, so you might be wondering why Hill didn't receive the accolades. Wallace Carothers was a brilliant chemist but suffered from chronic depression. In 1937 a few days after his wife told him she was pregnant with their first child, he drove to Philadelphia, checked into a hotel and swallowed cyanide. DuPont responded by heaping praise on him as the inventor of the miracle substance, creating a sort of Carothers legend.

In the meantime, Julian Hill's discovery became a sensation. It was called nylon because it was first unveiled to the public at the New York World's Fair in 1939 - the 'ny' in nylon stands for New York.

After the invention of nylon, it didn't take long for nylon stockings to appear. They were first marketed in the early 1940s and were an instant hit. There were stampedes in department stores throughout America, as women couldn't wait to experience the magic of stockings that wouldn't bunch or sag. A whopping 64 million pairs of nylon stockings were sold in their first year on the market and the manufacturers couldn't keep up with the demand.

But nylon's run as a godsend to women was short-lived. In 1942 nylon joined the war effort. All the available nylon went into the making of powder bags for large artillery, also tent fiber and parachutes. Nylon stockings didn't completely disappear, though; they became the gift of choice for American GIs trying to impress British women.

When the war was over, the production of nylon stockings started up again and they made a return to the shops, prompting more rushes to take place at the stores as everyone wanted their wonderful nylons again.

Nylon stockings remained popular throughout the 1950s, but were gradually replaced in the 1960s by pantyhose, considered by many to be the work of the devil! Pantyhose suited the modern, fast lifestyle of the day and were said to be more convenient for women than traditional garter belts and real nylons. I don't agree though - and I don't expect you do either!

You'll be pleased to hear that this story ends on a high note. The good news is that nylons are enjoying a surge in popularity at the moment, as more people discover the luxury they offer.