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In Memoriam: Inventor of Vinyl, Waldo Semon, Dies at 100
Waldo Semon, a chemist, died May 26 at a nursing home in Hudson Ohio. He was 100.We’re sure Waldo went to heaven. He invented vinyl.Waldo discovered vinyl in 1928. It did not generate immediate enthusiasm. "People thought of it as worthless back then, they’d throw it in the trash," Waldo said in a recent interview. Eventually (good things happen eventually) vinyl caught on, oozing into widespread use, with 44 billion pounds a year being produced to provide clothing, shelter, pipes, bumper stickers, luggage, toys, and knickknacks. And automobile interiors that make new cars smell so nice.And the pocket protectors (for pens/pencils) that we like so much. Waldo also invented synthetic rubber bubble gum. "It looked just like ordinary gum, except that it would blow these great big bubbles," said Waldo. But he failed to get the endorsement of his superiors for further development of this project. Conventional bubble gum was invented by Walter Dieter, an accountant at the Fleer chewing Gum Company in Philadelphia. Walter died last year.
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