(NAPSA)—The same material used by police to catch criminals can be used to develop their mug shots. It was used by the Romans to keep boats shipshape and by the military to help planesfly. The material is glue and historians say it and other adhesives date all the way back to at least 4000 B.C.—andit’s stuck around ever since. Glue’s been used in pharaohs’ tombs, to help in surgeries, to pull fingerprints from crime scenes and to develop film (it’s also helped keep more than a few materials stuck together). Here’s a closer look: Distant Past 4000 B.C.—Prehistoric people used sticky resins from tree sap to piece together pottery. 1350 B.C.—Glue wasused in the construction of a casket in the tomb of King Tut. 500 B.C.—The Romans used pinewood tar and beeswax as a waterproof adhesive for shipbuilding. e A.D. 1750—Britain issued the first glue patent used in breweries to make beer clear and to help develop film. Mid-Early 1900s 1942—Dr. Harry Coover invented the first instant adhesive, ethyl cyanoacrylate, by accident. 1945—Structural adhesives were used to bond major parts on military aircraft. Recent Past 1970—Instant Krazy Glue— the leading brand of ethyl cyanoacrylate—was introduced in North America. 1973—Vietnam War soldiers were issued tubes of Krazy Glue to quickly seal wounds while in battle. In 1977, the company intro- Stick to Your Diet—There is about %o of a calorie’s worth of glue on a postage stamp. duced the “Hanging Man”to demonstrate the glue’s ability to bond a man suspendedin midair. 1998—FDA approved the first cyanoacrylate liquid stitches. Doctors now also use the material during orthopedic surgery. 2001—Instant Krazy Glue used to protect the feet of searchand-rescue dogs at the 9/11 GroundZerosite. The product bonds instantly to wood, metal, ceramic, pottery, rubber, vinyl, leather and plastic surfaces. One Illinois woman reportedly even used the company’s glue to get out of a sticky situation. She sealed a leak in her boat that was a mile offshore. New glues have been introduced throughout the years as well. Most recently, in 2005, Krazy Glue came out with a Color Change Formula, which was introduced to mark the company’s 35th anniversary. It goes on purple and dries clear, helping people more easily determine where they’ve applied the glue.
