October 24

DuPont unveils the nylon stocking, and Hurricane Wilma makes landfall in Florida.

Wed, Oct 24 2012 at 6:00 AM

Oct. 24, 1939: A generation buys into the slogan "Better Living Through Chemistry," as DuPont offers nylon stockings for sale at Braunstein's Department Store in Wilmington, Del. The nylons craze begins an era of breakthroughs in altering lifestyles with new, chemistry-based products. At right, a DuPont nylons ad from the late 1940s.

Oct. 24, 2005: At the tail end of a brutal Atlantic hurricane season that included hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Hurricane Wilma makes landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The storm had already killed at least 19 in the Caribbean and Mexico; another six lose their lives in Florida.

Oct. 24, 2007: The jack-up oil rig Usumacinta catches fire in a storm in Mexico's Bay of Campeche. Twenty-two workers are reported dead.

Photo: x-ray delta one/Flickr

This feature is compiled by Peter Dykstra, an MNN contributor and publisher of Environmental Health News and The Daily Climate.

The opinions expressed by MNN Bloggers and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of MNN.com. While we have reviewed their content to make sure it complies with our Terms and Conditions, MNN is not responsible for the accuracy of any of their information.

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