John Hyatt Father Of Plastics

Originally Aired: January 13, 1937 Cavalcade of America #65, "John Hyatt Father Of Plastics," tells the story of John Wesley Hyatt, a twenty-six-year-old printer and typesetter working in an Albany, New York print shop in 1863. When his friend and fellow printer Jim Brown shows him an advertisement offering ten thousand dollars for a satisfactory substitute for ivory in making billiard balls, Hyatt decides to compete for the prize despite having no formal training in chemistry. With limited education beyond a year at seminary, Hyatt believes that the facts people discover for themselves matter most, and he's willing to put that philosophy to the test. As Hyatt and Brown begin their experiments working nights and Sundays, their fellow workers scoff at their efforts. Coworker Pearson openly ridicules Hyatt's attempts, insisting that famous chemists have already failed at this impossible task. Even young Tommy, the printer's devil, reports that the other men are laughing behind Hyatt's back. Despite the mockery and initial failures with their wood-based formulas, Hyatt remains undeterred, drawing on the mechanical ingenuity he inherited from his blacksmith father and his unwavering determination to succeed.