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Leo Hendrik BaekelandAmerican chemist and inventor
Date of Birth: 14.11.1863
Country:  USA |
Content:
Early Life and Education
Leo Hendrik Baekeland was born on November 14, 1863, in Ghent, Belgium, to a shoemaker and a maid. He graduated with honors from the Ghent Municipal Technical School (GMTS) and received a scholarship from his hometown to study chemistry at Ghent University, where he earned his doctorate (summa cum laude) at the age of only 21.
Career in Photography
After working as an adjunct professor of chemistry, Baekeland married Celine Sworst, the daughter of his department head, and traveled to New York City for his honeymoon. There, he met Richard Anthony of the photo materials company E.&H.T. Anthony and Company. Inspired by his invention of a photo-developing process using water instead of other chemicals, Baekeland decided to move to America, where Anthony offered him a job. He became a naturalized American citizen in 1897.
After leaving Anthony's company, Baekeland started his own consulting business in the chemical industry. However, due to health and financial issues, he returned to his interest in photo paper production. Within a few years, Baekeland had created Velox, an innovative photo paper that did not require daylight for development. He partnered with Leonard Jacobi to form the Nepera Chemical Company.
The Invention of Bakelite
Despite initial resistance from photographers, Nepera Chemical Company eventually became a success. In 1909, Baekeland achieved commercial success with the invention of Bakelite, the first synthetic thermosetting plastic. This revolutionary material was used to create a wide range of products, including electrical insulators, automotive parts, and jewelry.
Later Years and Eccentricity
In his later years, Baekeland became increasingly eccentric. He lived a reclusive lifestyle, subsisting on canned food and obsessing over the idea of growing a vast tropical garden at his winter estate in Coconut Grove, Florida. He passed away at the age of 80 from a cerebral hemorrhage at a sanitarium in Beacon, New York, on February 23, 1944.
