The building blocks of life, polymers, have existed from the beginning of time. However, their nature and potential was not fully comprehended until the middle of the 20th century. This adventure began with the quest to find billiard ball substitutes other than ivory, which resulted in the discovery of cellulose nitrate (celluloid) in 1868. In 1909, Bakelite, the first entirely synthetic plastic was developed. This opened the door for the quick creation of new materials including cellulose acetate, nylon, and PVC.