For centuries, billiard balls were made of ivory from elephant tusks. But when excessive hunting caused elephant populations to decline, they began to look for alternatives. John Wesley Hyatt took up the challenge. In five years, he invented a new material called celluloid, which would become known as the first plastic. Trace the history of the material that ushered in the “plastics century.”

几个世纪以来，台球都是用大象牙制成的象牙。但是，当过度狩猎导致大象数量减少时，他们开始寻找替代物。约翰-韦斯利-凯特接受了这个挑战。在五年内，他发明了一种叫做赛璐珞的新材料，这将被称为第一个塑料。追溯这种材料的历史，它开创了 塑料世纪。