Ruth Benerito

Today is the birthday of physical chemist Ruth Rogan Benerito, who is best known for the development of wrinkle-free, “wash and wear” cotton fabric. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, she earned her BS and MS at Tulane University and her PhD at the University of Chicago. She taught both at the high school and college level before taking a job in 1953 at the US Department of Agriculture in New Orleans, where she would remain for the next 33 years. It was Benerito’s revolutionary work with cotton that brought her national acclaim. After World War II, the cotton industry began to suffer because of the invention of polyester and other synthetic, easy-care fibers. Although cotton has the advantage of being breathable, it wrinkles easily. Benerito and her colleagues found a way to attach organic chemicals to cotton fabric to strengthen the bonds between the material’s cellulose molecules and reduce the wrinkling. They then went on to use that same method to add other valuable properties, such as stain and flame resistance. For her contributions, Benerito won numerous awards including the Lemelson–MIT Lifetime Achievement Award. She received 55 patents and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Benerito died in 2013 at age 97. (Photo credit: Lemelson–MIT Program)

Date in History: 12 January 1916