In 1953, what did a broken thermometer in his laboratory lead Dr. S. Donald Stookey to discover?

In 1940, Stanley Donald Stookey, PhD (5/23/15 – 11/4/14), started working as a researcher at Corning Glass Works. In a happy lab accident. he used an oven to overheat a piece of “FotoForm” glass, which he invented previously. Corning Ware eventually emerged.

Dr. Stookey directed Corning’s research for 47 years. Early on, he worked with milky-white opal glass. By adding silver nanoparticles to the substance, he made it “photosensitive”. That is, light could be used to etch three-dimensional designs in it. Bees produced honey in an artificial honeycomb made of this material, which was called “FotoForm”.

He experimented with the FotoForm formula and, in 1953, intended to heat a piece of it to 600 degrees Celsius. The oven’s thermometer was broken, and the piece was heated to 900 C. It did not break easily when dropped. The glass-ceramic material was called Fotoceram. Working to improve the material, he came up with Pyroceram, which led to Corning Ware, which hit the market in 1958.

Dr. Stookey owned or shared 60 glass and ceramic patents, for use in cookware, computers, and defense systems, including missile nose cones. Eyeglasses that darken and lighten in response to brightness, LCD screens for smartphones, and more sprang from Dr. Stookey’s inventions and innovations.