– 1908
A
Swiss chemist named Jacques E. Brandenberger did some things most of
us do: he ate out a restaurant, noticed another diner spilling his
wine on the tablecloth, and watched the waiter exchange the
now-stained tablecloth with a fresh, clean one.
But
then Brandenberger did something most of us have never done: he used
the things he'd observed as inspiration to get busy and invent
something new. Brandenberger hoped to create a clear, waterproof
coating for cloth, something that would repel, rather than absorb,
things like wine. He was a bit disappointed that, once dry, the
coating peeled right off. The clear film apparently was no good at
preventing stains on cloth—but, Brandenberger thought, look
what it can do!
The
inventor was able to use his new film in gas masks, and he sold the
film to Whitman's candy company, for wrapping chocolates. He
developed a machine to manufacture cellophane and helped start a
company to sell it; he also joined forces with an American chemical company
called DuPont. Cellophane quickly became an important part of food packaging,
since water, grease and oil, bacteria, and even air cannot get into a
sealed cellophane package. It is also used as a base for adhesive
tape, in certain batteries, as dialysis tubing, and in other
products. |
| Clear and colored cellophane are popular for different uses. |
Get
Crafty!
Over
the years, people have come up with tons of ways to use cellophane in
arts and crafts projects. Here, here, and here are some of these
ideas!
Some
fine artists use cellophane. Check out the graffiti-on-cellophane
here (scroll down to “Cellograff”).
