Bakelite was the first synthetic plastic, first produced by Leo Baekeland in Yonkers, New York, in 1907, however it is its patent date of 1909 which is usually the date cited for its creation.

Bakelite was unique in that it was the first fully synthetic plastic produced. A few semi-synthetic plastics had been produced in the years prior to 1909; Celluloid was made from plant cellulose and camphor, celluloid was mostly used for film but was used for creating decorative items along with some billiard balls and table tennis balls. Still today table tennis balls are made of celluloid.

Galalith or Aladdinite is the other somewhat notable synthetic plastic, made from casein and formaldehyde was invented in the 1890s. It was primarily used for costume jewellery and buttons.

Bakelite was the first commercially viable plastic that was completely synthetic could be hot-mouldable and, once cooled produced a hard material resistant to scratches that was also resistant to heat, nonconductive and resistant to solvents.

Bakelite's ease of moulding led it to be used for a variety of home and industrial uses and was one of the first materials that allowed for mass production of specialist items for the home, and for industrial and automotive industries. Its ease of mass production led to boost in commercial and industrial production with massive amounts being produced, especially compared to previous production techniques.

In industrial production temperature gauges, switches, knobs and such items were created from bakelite, it often being utilised for its non electrically or heat conductive properties. Examples of this can be seen on toasters, pots, lights and collectable industrial equipment.

Within the home, items like telephones and radios are especially notable from the 1920s-1930s Deco era their distinctive style and form, being created from bakelite allowed these forms to flourish in a way previous materials such as metal and wood could not.

Bakelite was not without its issues, one key one is flexibility, or rather its lack of it, even when it was produced new bakelite was quite fragile. In larger items its bulk protected it to a degree so larger heavy-use items like phones and radios remain to this day, more delicate items simply have not weathered the years, making items like cocktail shakers quite collectable.

As one of the first industrially crafted materials it remains a notable piece in 20th century history with a variety of home and industrial items existing in the world. Its collectability and notability comes both from its form and design, along with the rarity of many pieces.

Several items such as jewellery items remain usable / wearable to this day, while phones and radios can continue to be used, with many seeing continuous use for coming up to 100 years.

While bakelite has been mostly replaced by other modern plastics since the 1960s, it is still produced today by several manufacturers for electrical and industrial purposes, where it is known as polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride or Synthetic Resin Bonded Fabric/Paper (SRBF/SRBP), also referred to as Phenolic. Some positives noted continue from its first introduction; stable at a wide temperature range (0ºC to 120ºC), electrical insulation, use in electrical engineering, resistant to chemical damage and remains rigid once formed into a shape.

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