I’m guessing a lot of you have heard of the DuPont company. They make all sorts of paints, amongst other things. A lot of you people have probably had your house painted using DuPont paint.

In the early 1940s, DuPont had this new paint that they were working on. They were using an additive made from a by-product of oil, waste called divinylacetylene. They mixed it with a pigment which made the paint dry into a tough, thick adhesive.

It was great. There was really only one tiny problem with their new paint. Not a killer selling point – in fact it was quite the opposite. After the paint had

been applied to a surface, it had an unfortunate tendency to burst into flames. I think I can safely say, even without engaging expert product/sales research

people that not many people want to use a paint that will burn their house down.

In this programme I’m going to talk about that paint. Turns out that it was better than the atomic bomb and how!

Tag words: Pearl Harbour; Albert Einstein; Adolf Hitler; Nazi Germany; B17 Flying Fortress; Wright Brothers; Manhattan Project; President Roosevelt; B29 Superfortress; Enola Gay; Twenty First Bomber Group; Haywood Hansell; American Army Air Force; General Lauris Norstad; DuPont