Nylon and Bombs: DuPont and the March of Modern America

by Pap A. Ndiaye, Elborg Forster (Translator)

Overview

How the chemical engineering behemoth that brought us Teflon, Kevlar, Lycra, Freon, and more shaped the culture of postwar America.
 
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, among countless other innovations, 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.</

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421403342
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	04/27/2021
Series:	Studies in Industry and Society
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	403
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Pap A. Ndiaye is an associate professor of U.S. history at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Paris.

Table of Contents

Translator's Note
Introduction
1. DuPont and the Rise of Chemical Engineering
2. From Ammonia to Nylon: Technologies and Careers
3. Culture and Politics at DuPont before World War II
4. The Forgotten Engineers of the Bomb
5. The Heyday and Decline of Chemical Engineering
Conclusion
Notes
Essay on Sources and Historiography
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

A major contribution to both the history of technology and business history. It contributes to our understanding of the development of the professional, managerial class, one of the key aspects of the emergence of the middle class in twentieth-century America. A highly original work.
—William H. Becker, George Washington University

William H. Becker

A major contribution to both the history of technology and business history. It contributes to our understanding of the development of the professional, managerial class, one of the key aspects of the emergence of the middle class in twentieth-century America. A highly original work.

— William H. Becker, George Washington University

Editorial Reviews

Fresh because of its innovative approach to the history of DuPont . . . Stimulating book.
—Terrence J. Gough, Journal of Military History

The reader who is well versed in the field will . . . gain insight into the significant contributions made by chemical engineers and into the interaction between technological developments and broad social, cultural, and political changes.
—Christiane Diehl Taylor, Register of the Kentucky Historical Society

Nylon and Bombs will no doubt be put to great use in the emerging field of engineering studies.
—Jody Roberts, Technology and Culture

A very important book that ought to be read by all chemical engineers who seek a broad understanding of the history of their profession.
—Robert W. Seidel, Bulletin for the History of Chemistry

Ndiaye makes a worthwhile contribution to the literature and opens up many questions with which specialists will want to engage.
—Jeff Hughes, Isis

From the Publisher

Fresh because of its innovative approach to the history of DuPont . . . Stimulating book.

Journal of Military History - Terrence J. Gough

Nylon and Bombs will no doubt be put to great use in the emerging field of engineering studies.

Technology and Culture - Jody Roberts

Ndiaye makes a worthwhile contribution to the literature and opens up many questions with which specialists will want to engage.

Isis - Jeff Hughes

The reader who is well versed in the field will . . . gain insight into the significant contributions made by chemical engineers and into the interaction between technological developments and broad social, cultural, and political changes.

Register of the Kentucky Historical Society - Christiane Diehl Taylor

A very important book that ought to be read by all chemical engineers who seek a broad understanding of the history of their profession.

Bulletin for the History of Chemistry - Robert W. Seidel