- Part of MGM's John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series, this 1943 entry looks at how three inventions are making a major contribution to the U.S. war effort. The first is the invention of celluloid when the makers of cue balls used in billiards issued a call for a replacement for the ivory they had been using up to time. This led to the widespread use of plastics. The second is French researcher Edouard Benedictus' discovery that the use of a thin coat of collodion would allow for the development of safety glass. The last is the use of spider's silk in military sights such as submarine periscopes and artillery range finders.—garykmcd
- This Passing Parade series entry looks at three seemingly innocuous items that are contributing to the war effort: 1) When billiard ball manufacturers were searching for a substitute for ivory, they had no idea that celluloid would lead to the plastics used in today's airplanes, warships, and other items; 2) A scientist discovers that when collodion evaporates, it leaves a residue that keeps glass from shattering. This discovery led to the safety glass used in car windshields and, more important, in the cockpit windows of combat pilots; 3) The silk strands spun by spiders proved to be the best material for cross hairs in sights in periscopes and bomb sights.—David Glagovsky <[email protected]>
It looks like we don't have any synopsis for this title yet. Be the first to contribute.
Learn moreContribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content