Alexander Parkes born on 29 December, 1813, in Birmingham, England, was the inventor of plastic. For more than 100 years plastic has been in use. However, compared to other materials, plastic is relatively modern. The first known man-made plastic was invented by Alexander Parkes and showcased to the public at the Great International Exhibition in London in 1862. It was called as Parkesine, which was material derived from cellulose. This organic material had the property that it could be heated to be moulded into different shapes.
The material invented by Parkes was later developed by Daniel Spill to get an improved form, which was called Xylonite. However, he was unsuccessful in getting the patent for the same and till date Parkes is regarded as the true inventor of plastic. Today, plastic that we come across is mostly made of hydrocarbon molecules, which are the packets of carbon and hydrogen.
