Oh, Polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, how you changed the world. And, oh, Leo Baekeland, how we depend on what you created when you formulated the first synthetic plastic, Bakelite. The Dutch migrant and researcher was as much a father of modernity as Thomas Edison, and
All Things Bakelite: The Age of Plastic is a charming if brief chemistry lesson on the development of a material upon which the 20th century was built.
Not that most people remember, as shown in a vox pop intro of befuddled citizens who have no clue what it is ( artificial bacon being the most common answer). Fortunately, there is a succession of chemists who explain what was so special about Baekeland s innovation, while great-grandson and executive producer Hugh Karraker is on-hand to chirpily give the familial viewpoint.