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The first experimental sale of nylon stockings, Wilmington, Delaware, USA, 25 October, 1939. Nylon was invented in 1935 by Wallace Carothers, head of organic chemistry at the DuPont company in Wilmington. These stockings came from a single pilot plant. Large-scale production followed later. (Photo by Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

The first experimental sale of nylon stockings, Wilmington, Delaware, USA, 25 October, 1939. Nylon was invented in 1935 by Wallace Carothers, head of organic chemistry at the DuPont company in Wilmington. These stockings came from a single pilot plant. Large-scale production followed later. (Photo by Historica Graphica Collection/Heritage Images/Getty Images)