One of the most enduring toys of our times – Silly Putty –
wasn’t designed to be in the hands of kids. Its inventor was
attempting to respond to a challenge made by the US government.
During World War II, raw materials like rubber became harder to
obtain. The Japanese had invaded Asian countries were rubber
trees grew freely, and, in 1942, the US governtment’s War
Production Board challenged American industries to develop a
synthetic rubber. Chemical engineer James Wright, of General
Electric in New Haven, Connecticut, tried many chemical
combinations. In one test, he combined boric acid and silicone
oil in a test tube, which resulted in a compound that
polymerized. To test its qualities, Wright dropped the compound
on the floor. It bounced. Wright quickly noted the substance
could not function as a synthetic rubber – it was soft, didn’t
hold its shape, and broke when under pressure. But he and
General Electric believed the goo could be used for something,
so Wright, who called his creation Bouncing Putty, ap