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25 percent of DuPont’s 1938 annual profit.

Cellophane was invented by Jacques E. Brandenberger, a Swiss chemist. Up until the early 1920s, if an American businesses wanted to use the wrap they had to import it from Europe. DuPont acquired U.S. patent rights for cellophane in 1923 and, a year later, built the first cellophane manufacturing plant in the country.

In fact, it was a stained tablecloth that led to the transparent food protector - cellophane.

One day in 1900, Dr. Jacques E. Brandenberger was sitting in a cafe in his native Switzerland, when a hapless customer spilled a glass of wine. That fateful accident would change the landscape of food service forever.

While watching the waiter change the tablecloth, Brandenberger had an idea - a stain-resistant tablecloth. He wasn't sure how he'd accomplish it, but it seemed logical to apply a waterproof, flexible coating that would make the tablecloth stainproof.

"Checkered Game of Life," in 1860. It sold 45,000 copies in the first year. The Milton Bradley Co. continued to dominate the production of games through the 1900s, with more recent, familiar games such as "The Game of Life," "Candyland," "Battleship" and "Operation."

Board game pioneer who invented The Game of Life

American draftsman and lithographer Milton Bradley founded the Milton Bradley Company, famous makers of family board games such as The Game of Life, CandyLand and Twister. Raised in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, Bradley attended Harvard's Lawrence Scientific School from 1854 to 1856. He then worked as a draftsman for the Wason Car Works, manufacturers of railcars, until 1860, when he founded a lithography business in Springfield, Massachusetts. His initial success with a lithograph of clean-shaven presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln was dashed after Lincoln grew his famous beard, but Bradley moved on with a board game called The Checkered Game of Life. Now called The Game of Life, it is part of a Milton Bradley catalog that includes Yahtzee, Connect 4, Chutes and Ladders, Mouse Trap, Operation and Big Ben jigsaw puzzles. Mr. Bradley was also an advocate of kindergarten programs and early art education, and for many years his company manufactured materials and published books for childhood education. Bradley himself published several books in the field, including Color in Kindergarten (1893) and Water Colors in the Schoolroom (1900).

Cellophane, invented in the early 1900s, has now blossomed to be used in all aspects of our lives; from cooking, food protection, to wrapping presents.

The invention of cellophane was an accident that has been incredibly useful.

Today, food packaging, tape and even medical supplies owe their existence to the invention of cellophane.

With the advent of the American Civil War, Milton saw the interest in games fade until he created the idea of a small kit of games for the soldiers to play during periods of inactivity. His kit included chess, checkers, backgammon, dominoes, and his Checkered Game of Life. The kits were sold directly to the soldiers as well as charitable organizations who distributed them to the soldiers.

Milton's success with games monetarily carried his interest in supporting the new kindergarten movement. However, with the 1870 recession, his partners were no longer willing to support these extra costs. Milton chose to continue his support of the kindergarten movement and his friend, George Tapley, bought out the partners and became president. This left Milton free to invent new games and educational materials.

This foresight paid off by the early 1900s. Kindergartens were spreading across the United States and the teachers were buying Milton's art supplies, multiplication sticks, toy money, movable clock dials, story books, school furniture, and educational games. Milton Bradley Company's education department went from operating at a loss to being a major source of earnings for the company.1