Without them, America and the Allies could not have won the Second World War. A group of Akron chemists developed synthetic rubber in the 1940's, one of their biggest, but not only contribution to society. Their largely unsung history is kept alive through hundreds of hours of audio recordings at the University of Akron. The Rubber Tapes bring to life the stories of the scientists, engineers, and industry leaders who helped make Akron the world's rubber capital.

Also below you'll find an extended excerpt from an interview with E.J. Thomas from the Rubber Division archives. Used with permission, 2009.