5 A Tribute To Spandex

I gave my groin to Spandex
A fruit of Dupont's 'projects'.
I need not dread,
wearing a rubber tread,
for now I have my Spandex!

I gave my groin to Spandex
A fruit of Dupont's 'projects'.
Miles in peace,
minus the woolly crease.
O' that's a ride in Spandex!

I gave my groin to Spandex,
A fruit of Dupont's 'projects'.
Neither oil or sweat,
nor detergent has met
the destruction of my Spandex.

I gave my groin to Spandex
A fruit of Dupont's 'projects'.
A godsend elastane.
Mind you, its a polyurethane!
Well... I just call it Spandex.



Did You Know ?

So valuable was DuPont's spandex technology (1962) that it was the subject of an extortion attempt in 1989. Five DuPont employees, all from DuPont's Lycra spandex plant in Mercedes, Argentina, tried to play a fast-and-loose game. They stole proprietary production technology documents and attempted to extract $10 million from DuPont for their safe return. After a globe-trotting chase that included stops in Wilmington, Del.; Milan, Italy; and Geneva, Switzerland, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Swiss police finally staged a sting to exchange a bogus check for the documents. The operation went awry, but the Swiss police ended up nabbing the extortionists on the rebound in a Geneva parking lot. [Source]

Here's a newspaper clipping of that story in the St. Petersburg Times and one here in NY Times way back in 1989.

Besides Lycra®, DuPont is also credited with discovering Kevlar® fiber in 1965 and Teflon® earlier in 1938. These materials are increasingly used in the bicycles today to make friction decreasing cables for flexible and supposedly crisper shifting, and as a puncture preventive component in bicycle tires. The Specialized S-Works helmet also licenses Kevlar to employ it as a structural base reinforcement.

Where the heck would we be without DuPont?

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