When was styrofoam created?

Question

When was styrofoam created?

Answer 1

Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source, but according to them, it was invented in 1941.

Answer 2

STYROFOAM®: From Discovery to a Leading Brand

Born in 1918, McIntire graduated from the University of Kansas in 1940 with a B.S. degree in engineering.  He then went to work as a research engineer for The Dow Chemical Company, and during World War II, when rubber was in short supply, McIntire’s work focused on developing a rubber-like substance that could be used as a flexible insulator.  In an experiment in which he combined styrene with isobutylene, he created a unique material that was solid yet flexible due to the tiny bubbles formed by isobutylene within the styrene.

Patented in 1944 as STYROFOAM®, this new material was lightweight but also durable, and exhibited outstanding thermal and moisture-resistant properties.  Today, STYROFOAM® Insulation is one of the leading brands of extruded polystyrene insulation in the world.  STYROFOAM® Brand products are used in a variety of insulation applications from rooftops to basement walls.  Other applications range from marine buoyancy billets to floral, art and craft products.  STYROFOAM® Brand Insulation is easily recognized by its unique trademarked BLUE® color.

The STYROFOAM® Brand name is sometimes misused by the general public as a generic term for disposable foam products such as coffee cups, coolers and packaging materials.  These materials, however, are made from expanded polystyrene and do not have the insulation value, compressive strength or moisture resistant properties of STYROFOAM® Brand Extruded Polystyrene Insulation.

Answer 3

Styrofoam was introduced to the U.S. in 1954.

http://inventors.about.com/library/inven...