Bakelite telephone dial. Close-up of the dial of a telephone with bakelite casing. Bakelite, the first plastic to be used for widespread commercial pu

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Bakelite telephone dial. Close-up of the dial of a telephone with bakelite casing. Bakelite, the first plastic to be used for widespread commercial purposes, was discovered in the 1920s while the Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland was researching synthetic varnishes in the USA. It is a thermosetting plastic (one that does not melt once it has been heated and set) and it is a good insulator. This made it the ideal material to use in electrical devices such as telephones and radios.

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Size: 6353px × 4912px
Photo credit: © CORDELIA MOLLOY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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