Production of Douglas A-20 attack bombers at Rohm and Haas facility

2023-01-10T15:34:35-05:00

General view of two unidentified employees making adjustments to a Douglas A-20 attack bomber in production at the Rohm and Haas Company plant located in Bristol, Pennsylvania. Several attack bombers, awaiting installation of Plexiglas windshield and nose panels, are visible in the background.

The Rohm and Haas Company was founded in 1907 in Esslingen, Germany through the partnership of German chemist Otto Röhm and German businessman Otto Haas. In 1933, Röhm's experiments with the polymerization of methyl methacrylate led to the creation of a clear, solid plastic sheet, which he trademarked Plexiglas. During World War II, the demand for Plexiglas, which both Allied and Axis forces used for submarine periscopes and aircraft windshields, canopies, and gun turrets, helped transform Rohm and Haas into a major chemical firm.