Working glass hero
Andrew Turley investigates the history of Pyrex, one of the best known brands in chemistry
Pyrex was originally designed for use in railway signal lighting and marketed under the brand name Nonex. Nonex was made from borosilicate glass, which didn’t expand to the same extent when heated and consequently cracked far less often. Indeed, Nonex borosilicate glass had to be replaced so rarely the company was soon looking for new markets in order to maintain profits. As it happened, the company had been considering a move into consumer products for several years. All it needed was a little push in the right direction from a resourceful housewife.
In 1913, Bessie Littleton was upset that her earthenware casserole dish had cracked after only its second use. She asked her husband Jesse, a Corning physicist, to bring her back from the glassworks something she could use as a substitute. At that time, the company used Nonex glass for battery jars, as well as railway lighting, and Jessie decided that he could make something reasonable by sawing the bottom off one of the jars. The result was remarkably successful...
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