<P> Harry Wesley Coover Jr . (March 6, 1917--March 26, 2011) was the inventor of Eastman 910, commonly known as Super Glue . </P> <P> Coover was born in Newark, Delaware, and received his Bachelor of Science from Hobart College before earning his Master of Science and Ph . D. from Cornell University . He worked as a chemist for Eastman Kodak from 1944--1973 and as Vice President of the company from 1973 - 1984 . He later moved to Kingsport, Tennessee, where he spent the rest of his life . </P> <P> In 1942, while searching for materials to make clear plastic gun sights, Coover and his team at Eastman Kodak examined cyanoacrylates, a material that was used during both World Wars (1914 - 1918; 1939 - 1945) as an alternative to stitches on large cuts and wounds, rejecting them as too sticky . Nine years later, Coover was overseeing Kodak chemists investigating heat - resistant polymers for jet canopies when cyanoacrylates were once again tested and proved too sticky . That time around, however, Coover recognized that he had discovered a unique adhesive . In 1958, the adhesive, marketed by Kodak as Super Glue, was introduced for sale . </P> <P> Generally, cyanoacrylate is an acrylic resin which rapidly polymerises in the presence of water (specifically hydroxide ions), forming long, strong chains, joining the bonded surfaces together . Because the presence of moisture causes the glue to set, exposure to moisture in the air can cause a tube or bottle of glue to become unusable over time . To prevent an opened container of glue from setting before use, it must be stored in an airtight jar or bottle with a package of silica gel . Another convenient way is attaching a hypodermic needle on the opening of glue . After applying, residual glue soon clogs the needle, keeping moisture out . The clog is removed by heating the needle (e.g. by a lighter) before use . </P>

Super glue was discovered by accident during development research on what