Origins & Early Life

Stephanie Louise Kwolek (; July 31, 1923 – June 18, 2014) was a Polish-American chemist known for inventing Kevlar (poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide). Her career at the DuPont company spanned more than 40 years. For her discovery, Kwolek was awarded the DuPont company's Lavoisier Medal for outstanding technical achievement. Before 2021, she was the only female employee to have received that honor.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

In 1995 she became the fourth woman to be added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Kwolek won numerous awards for her work in polymer chemistry, including the National Medal of Technology, the IRI Achievement Award and the Perkin Medal. Kwolek was one of two children born to Polish immigrant parents in the Pittsburgh suburb of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, in 1923. The grade school she attended was small enough to require her classroom be shared by two different grades, which she found to be an advantage; as Kwolek's love of science grew, she easily outpaced even the older children across the room. Her father, John Kwolek, died when she was ten years old.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

He was a naturalist by avocation, and Kwolek spent hours with him, as a child, exploring the natural...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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• Alan Davis — Shared historical date (06-18 · Born) (1956): English comic book writer and artist known for Captain Britain and X-Men work.
• Ali Akbar Khan — Shared historical date (06-18 · Died) (2009): Master sarod virtuoso who popularized Hindustani classical music in the West.
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