This article is about the DuPont company. For the Washington, D.C., neighborhood, see the article Dupont Circle.

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company was founded in July 1802 as a gun powder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont on Brandywine Creek, near Wilmington, Delaware. Du Pont later evolved into one of the world's largest chemical companies, and in the 20th century led the polymer revolution by developing many highly successful materials such as neoprene, nylon, Lucite, Teflon, Mylar, Kevlar, and Tyvek. Du Pont has also been significantly involved in refrigerants, developing and producing the Freon series and more modern refrigerants. Today, DuPont is a multi-national chemicals, paint, and health care company with 2004 revenues of $28 billion and is the 66th largest corporation in the United States. In 2004 the company sold it's textiles business to Koch Industries, losing some of it's most well known brands such as Lycra (spandex) and Thermolite . The company often gives trademark names to its material products, many of which have become more well-known and commonly used than the generic or chemical word for the material itself.

In a report submitted by Saddam Hussein to the United Nations shortly before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, it was revealed that DuPont had participated in Iraq's nuclear weapons program. (Though the U.S. attempted to redact the names of all U.S. companies involved, an uncensored copy was leaked to the press.)

DuPont was named one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" in 2004 by Working Mothers magazine.

DuPont is one of the primary sponsors of NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon.

Related topics

• Hagley Museum and Library

External links

• DuPont

Data

• Yahoo! - EI du Pont de Nemours and Company Company Profile.
• DuPont heritage site