Were Nylon riots real?

           Would you believe it if someone tells you that there were riots in the name of a polymer? Well, be ready for surprises. Nylon riots were real! It happened in the US after the Second World War.

           Du Pont started making nylon stockings towards the end of the 1930s which drove American women crazy. Stockings were highly sought-after hosiery. Around four million stockings were sold in a day. During the war years, the silk export from Japan ceased and there was a shortage of nylon, as it was used to make war materials like parachutes and tents. Nylon stockings were produced no more. This created a shortage. It was so fashionable; black markets sold a few at high prices and many women resorted to paint their legs like transparent nylon stockings!

           After the war, nylon stockings reappeared in the markets. Hundreds of women lined up in the stores to get hold of limited nylon stockings. The shortage of stockings led to a series of disturbances in the US that occasionally broke into fights. Women flooded the stores knocking down shelves, and fighting hammer and tongs for the limited stock. The situation became terrible in Pittsburgh when 40,000 women lined up for 13,000 pairs of stockings.

Picture Credit : Google