1. Bakelite ( BAY-kə-lyte), was the first plastic made from synthetic components. It was developed by Belgian chemist Leo Baekeland in Yonkers, New York, in 1907, and patented on December 7, 1909. Bakelight was a great commercial success because it could be molded into any shape. It was used for such diverse products as kitchenware, jewelry, pipe stems, children's toys, and firearms. Because Bakelight is heat-resistant and electrically nonconductive, it was also used to make products such as electrical insulators and casings for radios and telephones. The creation of a synthetic plastic was revolutionary for the chemical industry, which at the time made most of its income from cloth dyes and explosives. Bakelite's commercial success inspired the industry to develop other synthetic plastics. As the world's first commercial synthetic plastic, Bakelite was named a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society. Formally, Bakelite is poly­oxy­benzyl­methylen­glycol­anhydride... from wikipedia.org