28 Februrary

February 28 1533 – Philosopher Michel de Montaigne is Born Near BordeauxRate this post *Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons Thirty miles east of the bustling city of Bordeaux, a man who would go on to shape philosophy for generations to come was born on February 28, 1533. Michel de Montaigne, an adept political ally for French kings and prolific writer of deeply engaging thoughts on the nature of knowledge, is regarded by many as the creator of the essay as a form of prose. Montaigne’s great-grandfather, a successful fish merchant, purchased the Chateau de Montaigne in 1477, settling 20 miles to the east of Bordeaux. Though financially secure, the Montaignes were […]

February 28 1935 – William Carothers invents nylon at the DuPont Experimental Station near Wilmington, DelawareRate this post Nylon is the generic name given to a family of synthetic polymers called the aliphatic polyamides. Nylon is among the most commonly used polymers. Nylon was first discovered on February 28, 1935, by the famous scientist Wallace Carothers at the DuPont research facility, also called the DuPont Experimental Station, near Wilmington, Delaware. Wallace Carothers was born on April 27, 1896, in Burlington, Iowa, in the United States. An organic chemist by profession, Carothers completed his Ph. D in Chemistry at the University of Illinois and went on to teach at many renowned […]