Kevlar

Hi there. My name is Kevlar. I’m a super-duper strong, bright yellow thread. I wasn't planned, I was a happy surprise. A very smart and curious scientist named Stephanie Kwolek discovered me in the year 1965. She was trying to make something else, but she found me instead. She thought I looked a little funny at first, but she soon learned I had a secret superpower. I was so excited to show her what I could do. It felt like I had a special secret just waiting to be told. Stephanie was the perfect person to tell my secret to because she always looked very closely at everything.

Stephanie was in her lab, mixing up chemicals like a chef making a new recipe. She wanted to make strong strings for car tires so they would be safer. One day, she mixed a potion that looked thin and cloudy, like milky water. Her friends in the lab said, 'Oh no, that’s a mistake. Throw it out.' But Stephanie was very curious. She thought, 'Hmm, what if this cloudy potion can do something special?' So, instead of throwing me away, she decided to see what I could do. She took the funny-looking liquid to a special machine that spins liquid into a long, long thread. I felt a little dizzy, whirring and twirling around and around.

And guess what. When I was spun, I turned into the strongest, toughest fiber anyone had ever seen. I was stronger than steel. Hooray. From that day on, I got a very important job: keeping people safe. I am used in the strong coats that protect firefighters from heat, and in the special vests that keep police officers safe. I even help build fast boats and super-strong spaceships that fly to the moon. It all started with a curious scientist who didn't give up on a funny-looking potion. I am so proud that I get to help people every day, and it reminds me that sometimes the best discoveries are happy little surprises.