was plastic invented in the last 200 years ?

Question

I have to write a paper

Answer 1

No to the answer of last 200 years

1868 is when plastic came about
..................prior to that ....................
...........it was something similar..........
................ called cellulose in 1862

http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/plastics.htm
Timeline - Beginning of the Plastic Era with Semi Synthetics
1839 - Polystyrene or PS discovered - Eduard Simon
1862 - Parkesine - Alexander Parkes
1863 - Cellulose Nitrate or Celluloid - John Wesley Hyatt
1872 - Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC - first created by Eugen Baumann
1894 - Viscose Rayon - Charles Frederick Cross, Edward John Bevan
Timeline - Thermosetting Plastics and Thermoplastics
1908 - Cellophane - Jacques E. Brandenberger
1909 - First true plastic Phenol-Formaldehyde tradenamed Bakelite - Leo Hendrik Baekeland
1926 - Vinyl or PVC - Walter Semon invented a plasticized PVC.
1927 - Cellulose Acetate
1933 - Polyvinylidene chloride or Saran also called PVDC - accidentally discovered by Ralph Wiley, a Dow Chemical lab worker.
1935 - Low-density polyethylene or LDPE - Reginald Gibson and Eric Fawcett
1936 - Acrylic or Polymethyl Methacrylate
1937 - Polyurethanes tradenamed Igamid for plastics materials and Perlon for fibers. - Otto Bayer and co-workers discovered and patented the chemistry of polyurethanes
1938 - Polystyrene made practical
1938 - Polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE tradenamed Teflon - Roy Plunkett
1939 - Nylon and Neoprene considered a replacement for silk and a synthetic rubber respectively Wallace Hume Carothers
1941 - Polyethylene Terephthalate or Pet - Whinfield and Dickson
1942 - Low Density Polyethylene
1942 - Unsaturated Polyester also called PET patented by John Rex Whinfield and James Tennant Dickson
1951 - High-density polyethylene or HDPE tradenamed Marlex - Paul Hogan and Robert Banks
1951 - Polypropylene or PP - Paul Hogan and Robert Banks
1953 - Saran Wrap introduced by Dow Chemicals.
1954 - Styrofoam the trademarked form of polystyrene foam insulation, invented by Ray McIntire for Dow Chemicals
1964 - Polyimide
1970 - Thermoplastic Polyester this includes trademarked Dacron, Mylar, Melinex, Teijin, and Tetoron
1978 - Linear Low Density Polyethylene
1985 - Liquid Crystal Polymers

http://www.polymerplastics.com/history_plastics.shtml
Plastic materials trace their origin in this country back to 1868, when a young printer named John Wesley Hyatt came up with Celluloid, the first American plastic. He mixed pyroxylin, made from cotton (one of nature's polymerics), and nitric acid, with camphor to create an entirely different and new product. Celluloid quickly moved into many markets, including the first photographic film used by George Eastman to produce the first motion picture film in 1882. The material is still in use today under its chemical name, cellulose nitrate.

In 1909, Dr. Lee Hendrik Baekeland introduced phenoformaldehyde plastics (or "phenolics", as they are more popularly known), the first plastic to achieve worldwide acceptance.

Answer 2

Yes, it was. The first man-made plastics were invented in 1862.

Take a look here:
http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventions/a/plastics.htm

Answer 3

Research DuPont.

Answer 4

ummmmm before that ...maybe :}