Wallace H. Carothers was born on April 27, 1896 in Berlington, Iowa. He graduated from Terkin College with a bachelor of science in 1920, and earned his Ph.D. in 1924 from the University of Illinois. For a short time Carothers taught at the University of Illinois and at Harvard University. Because he preferred research to teaching, Carothers accepted a position with Du Pont in 1928 to work on a basic research program. Until then, Du Pont had simply bought the technologies developed by others. In order to diversify, Du Pont decided to make a commitment to fundamental research. Carothers was asked to research polymer chemistry. It was felt that by discovering the underlying properties and structures of polymers, Du Pont could develop synthetic substitutes for natural products. There were various theories on the structures of polymers. Carothers supported the theory that polymers were large molecules made up of repeating units. He developed...