Plexiglas® was discovered by accident in Röhm laboratory in Germany. In 1933, Otto Röhm succeeded in developing a method for polymerising methyl methacrylate. He had originally intended to use it as a drying oil in varnishes, but soon realised that he could also use it as a coating for safety glass. In 1935, one of his research associates was experimenting with an acrylic polymer to see if it would bind two sheets of glass. Instead of acting as glue, it dried into a lightweight, clear plastic sheet. Otto immediately thought it could be used instead of glass.
It was another three years until Plexiglas® could be manufactured inexpensively, and ways to use it were discovered. Röhm himself experimented with various uses: he used Plexiglas® in his car windows and even his reading glasses! Among the many uses Röhm's researchers explored were musical instruments. The most important applications of Plexiglas®, however, were not for transparent flutes but for airplanes.
Plexiglas® proved transparent, strong, and tough enough to be used in the cockpits of military aircraft. In 1940, Plexiglas® was used in the nose-cones of war planes, and three years later, acrylic aircraft canopies were being produced. In 1974, acrylic sheets stiffened with reinforced plastic were used for the first time in exterior body panels of a car. Today Plexiglas® is manufactured in forms ranging from clear to opaque; it is nearly unbreakable and is used in place of glass in airplanes, automobiles, light fixtures, aquariums, signs, and household appliances.
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