A black and white picture of someone working in a lab, set to a blue and green background with a white Styrofoam cup to the right of the photo.
“The Complete History of Styrofoam: From Lab to Landfill,” EatHealthy365, accessed December 1, 2025, https://eathealthy365.com/the-complete-history-of-styrofoam-from-lab-to-landfill/

1839 

Eduard Simon discovered polystyrene. He did this by isolating a substance from natural resin, but he did not know what it was, how to use it , or what he discovered.1

1922 

Hermann Staudinger publishes his theories on polymers. He says materials created by the thermal processing of styrene were closely related to rubber.2

1930

Scientists at BASF created the first way to commercially produce polystyrene creating ways for people to buy products.3

1941 

Styrofoam was created by scientists at Dow company. It was Ray McIntire who is often credited with the invention though as he led the experiments. What we normally think of when we say styrofoam as it is the most well known polystyrene and was trademarked by Dow.4 

1945 

First main use of styrofoam was for the United States military during WWII. The strength and resistance to water made it a great floatation device and it was used to create 6 people rafts by the coast guard.5

1950’s 

Styrofoam became important to civilization and everyday humans. It began being used for insulation in homes6 and eventually in 1957 the first styrofoam cup was created.7

2000’s – Today

Styrofoam is used for insulators for buildings and for construction and also industrial applications like walk-in coolers or other insulators.8

Photo of hands putting stryrofoam in a special recycling container.
“Styrofoam Recycling, Reuse & Disposal: The Final Answer,” EatHealthy365, accessed December 1, 2025, https://eathealthy365.com/styrofoam-recycling-reuse-disposal-the-final-answer/

Footnotes

  1. Science History Institute, The History of Polymers: Early Discoveries, Philadelphia, PA.
  2. Science History Institute, Hermann Staudinger and the Birth of Polymer Science, Philadelphia, PA.
  3. BASF Corporation, History of Polystyrene Production, BASF North America Archives.
  4. Dow Chemical Company, History of STYROFOAM™, Dow Corporate Archives, Midland, MI.
  5. Dow Chemical Company, Applications of STYROFOAM™ During World War II, Dow Technical Bulletin.
  6. U.S. Department of Energy, Residential Insulation Materials in Post-War Construction, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.
  7. Dart Container Corporation, History of the Foam Cup, corporate archives (Mason, MI).
  8. U.S. Department of Energy, Insulation Materials: Polystyrene Foam, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy.