A few years ago, as my plane was hovering above Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, turbulence was threatening to make our landing bumpy. My travel buddy was an anxious flyer, so I pointed to the Glenn Research Center and quickly started a conversation about how the innovators there once set out to create quieter jets and airplanes. “Not many people remember those days,” the gentleman sitting with us said. “But planes used to be loud. Crazy to think about Clevelanders correcting that!” Since writing about Cleveland is my job, I had to bite my tongue… otherwise, I’d go off about the many incredible things invented in Cleveland. Some, like the modern alkaline battery, changed our lives in a huge way. Others, like the first car manufactured and sold in America, ushered in a brand new era. Today, we’re going to take a look at a Cleveland invention that has quietly pushed our society forward: polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. Its story is more intriguing than you might think, so buckle up and prepare for a trip back in time.

Polyvinyl chloride is an invention we take for granted.
NRCS Oregon/Flickr
This nifty material is everywhere, from gutter protection to piping. It's one of the world's most widely produced synthetic plastic polymers, and there's a good reason why! It's weather-resistant, long-lasting, and useful in a variety of industries.
To explore how PVC and Cleveland are intertwined, however, we'll have to step back in time to 1872.
JuTa/Wikimedia Commons
At the time, one German chemist named Eugen Baumann was about to receive his PhD. Perhaps in relation to those studies, he eventually synthesized a white solid substance. For some reason, he never patented the material, and its study fell to the wayside for a few decades.
Eventually, another German stepped in — this one by the name of Friedrich Klatte.
LHcheM/Wikimedia Commons
Klatte had invented a new method for the polymerization of vinyl chloride, so he set out to patent the material. He did receive that patent, but there was one glaring issue: what could possibly be done with this substance? Did it serve any purpose?!
For years, innovators and inventors attempted to use PVC in commercial applications, but it ended in failure.
Dennis Hill/Flickr
Back in the day, plastic wasn't a super common commodity. In fact, plastic and its variants weren't commonly used until the 1960s. While it had been around for roughly 100 years at that point, its use had previously been for smaller-scale applications, like kitchenware and toys. The course of its development, of course, was changed forever by a few Ohioans.

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At the B. F. Goodrich Chemical Co. in Cleveland, one man named Waldo Semon was seeking a cheap alternative to natural rubber. Polyvinyl chloride, a previously unharnessed commodity, was about to be thrust into the spotlight.
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press (PH2000.000PRE) Identifier: subjectB004.jpg
The 1920s were a turbulent era that eventually ended in a market crash, but Semon couldn't possibly know that was coming when he was experimenting with PVC in 1926. While it wasn't a perfect replacement for rubber as he had hoped, PVC had its place. Semon dreamed of using the water-resistant material to coat fabrics, and that started a revolution.
At the start of World War II, PVC was adopted as an insulator for wiring in military ships.
Joseph E. Cole/Cleveland Press (PH2000.000PRE) Identifier: subjectB006.jpg
This was a far cry from the golf balls and shoes that first used PVC in their construction, but it truly catapulted the use of this polymer forward. From here, PVC slowly crept into the construction industry and found its footing.
In his career at Goodrich, Semon invented some 5,000 synthetic rubber compounds. To this day, however, his most prominent contribution to society is this one amorphous plastic.
Dan4th Nicholas/Flickr
Interestingly, Semon's name is immortalized out near Cuyahoga Valley National Park in the Waldo Semon Woods Conservation Area. At 122 acres, this gorgeous plot of land donated by the inventor is well worth exploring.
While PVC wasn't first synthesized in the U.S., it was plasticized, perfected, and sent to market right here in Cleveland.
Creative Minds/Flickr
Who knew such a mundane invention had such a remarkable history?!

From owning a home to writing for product marketing purposes, I’ve personally found PVC to be a hugely beneficial material. In fact, I studied it a bit in the Honors College at the University of Akron. As a student there, I never imagined that digging into the history of rubbers and plastics would have any lasting impact on my life, but inventors from Northeast Ohio have truly infused innovations like PVC into our everyday lives. And because I can’t resist calling it out, I have to leave you with one more piece of knowledge from my time studying plastics at UA… ask your favorite search engine if plastic or paper is better for the environment. You might be surprised by what you learn, but the innovators in and around Cleveland have long known that plastic and its variants can open many doors while maintaining a good environmental profile.

PVC is one of the coolest things invented in Cleveland, but it is just one of many household names to be born here in The Land. If you love learning about history, you should dig a bit deeper into Superman. He might be the only being stronger and more resistant than Cleveland-engineered plastics, and he was born over in the Glenville neighborhood.

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