John wesley hyatt biography of mahatma

American inventor of plastic

John Wesley Hyatt (November 28, 1837 – May 10, 1920) was an American inventor.

He is mainly known for simplifying the production of celluloid.

Hyatt, a Perkin Medal recipient, is included in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He had nearly 238 patents to his credit, including improvements to sugar cane mills and water filtration devices.

Biography

Hyatt was born in Starkey, New York, and began working as a printer when he was 16.

John wesley hyatt biography of mahatma

Later, he invented a simpler celluloid production process, receiving several hundred patents. Among the most well-known of his inventions was that of a substitute for ivory to produce billiard balls. An award of $10,000 had been instituted by Michael Phelan in 1863 due to the cost of ivory and concerns on its shortage.^[1]

Aided by his brother Isaiah,^[2] Hyatt experimented with Parkesine, a hardened form of nitrocellulose.^[3] Parkesine had been invented by the Englis