#21: Super Glue
Back in 1942, the B.F. Goodrich Company secured the first patent for cyanoacrylate, thanks to the efforts of Harry Coover Jr. and his crew, who stumbled upon it while crafting gun sights for wartime rifles. Initially deemed unsuitable for their military project due to its strong adhesive properties, Coover and his team momentarily shelved their discovery.
Nearly a decade later, in 1951, Harry Coover Jr., now with Eastman Kodak, alongside Fred Joyner, rediscovered the potential of cyanoacrylate, leading to the market debut of super glue under the brand “Eastman #910” in 1958. In the sixties, Loctite took over cyanoacrylate from Eastman Kodak. By the decade’s close, super glue found critical use in the Vietnam War as a quick wound-sealing agent. Today, the versatility of superglue has spawned countless variants worldwide, demonstrating its enduring utility and demand.