On April 6th, we mark the anniversary of the accidental invention of Teflon by Doctor Roy Plunkett in 1938. The chemical is found almost everywhere and in surprising places. Besides protecting pots and pans in the kitchen, it also decreases friction in the aerospace industry and protects fabrics from staining and tearing. Its most important application is in medicine — increasing production and reducing contamination in pharmaceuticals. A chemist named Roy Plunkett was working in New Jersey when he accidentally discovered a brand new material. It was called polytetrafluoroethylene. Chemours, the company he worked for, registered the Teflon trademark in 1945. In 1985, Plunkett was added to the Inventors’ Hall of Fame. Although Roy Plunkett invented Teflon in 1945, it wasn't until the 1950s that the substance entered the kitchen. Dr. Marion A Trozzoo invented a Teflon-coated frying pan and founded Laboratory Plasticware Fabricators. In 1961, he marketed the first US-made Teflon-coated frying pan. It was called The Happy Pan. In honor of that, let's bring out our Teflon cookware and cook up some tasty recipes.

6 April is National Teflon Day, which is celebrated annually

National Teflon Day celebrates the accidental discovery of Teflon by Dr. Roy Plunkett. But who was Dr. Plunkett? We don't know, but we do know that he accidentally created Teflon on this day in 1938.