Aha Moment Maker: You Look Mauve-lous!

LONDON, 1856—Eighteen-year-old chemist William Henry Perkin was working on creating an artificial version of the malaria drug quinine, which was very much in demand for the expanding British colonies.

Instead, he managed to produce only a dark oily sludge that left indelible stains. As he examined the outcome of his failed experiment more closely, he noticed that the sludge turned fabrics a striking light purple color.

And thus the world’s first synthetic dye was born. After patenting the dye in 1856, Perkin went on to manufacture it on a large scale, and synthetic dyes became important to the growing textile industry in the late 1800s.

After success in France, the dye which Perkin had called “aniline purple” was renamed “mauve” after a French purple flower.

What’s the aha moment you see?

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