Kevlar Was Nearly Discarded. One Woman Fought to Prove It Could Save Lives episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 28, 2026 · 10 MIN

Kevlar Was Nearly Discarded. One Woman Fought to Prove It Could Save Lives

from Our American Stories · host iHeartPodcasts

On this episode of Our American Stories, Kevlar is now a staple of body armor, trusted by law enforcement, military personnel, and first responders, but when Stephanie Kwolek first developed the fiber in a DuPont lab, it was almost thrown away. The material didn’t behave like others, and no one saw a use for it. Kwolek pushed for further testing, convinced it was worth more. That decision led to one of the most important safety innovations of the twentieth century.Kaela Rider from the Bill of Rights Institute shares how one overlooked discovery became the foundation for the modern bulletproof vest. Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 28, 2026

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Kevlar Was Nearly Discarded. One Woman Fought to Prove It Could Save Lives

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