Materials · 1965

Kevlar

An aramid fiber five times stronger than steel by weight.

Stephanie Kwolek at DuPont discovered the liquid-crystal polymer solution behind Kevlar in 1965. It is used in body armor, tires and cables.

Arcs above join it to what it stood on, arcs below to what it led to. The bar places this stretch on the tree's whole timeline.

What it built on 1