Teflon was invented in 1938 by Roy J. Plunkett, a DuPont chemist. He was experimenting with a refrigerant (TRE or tetrafluoroethylene) for refrigerators.

For some reason, a gas cylinder did not discharge properly even though the valve was open. Against all safety regulations, Plunkett and his assistant decided to cut open the pressure cylinder to see what had happened. Instead of an explosion, they found that the gas in the cylinder had turned into a strange slippery white powder. In subsequent tests, they found that it was the slickest substance there was, that it was inert and had an extremely high melting point.

 

In 1945, DuPont registered Teflon as a trademark and produced products with a layer of this miracle substance. Since then, Teflon has been used for pans, pots, irons, microchips, rocket umbrellas and spacesuits.

The New York gangster John Gotti was nicknamed "Teflon" because he was so slippery that he could not be caught.