29th December 1766

Inventor of the Mackintosh is born

The name Charles Macintosh didn’t quite earn itself a place in the history books. Although the man himself is credited with inventing a waterproof fabric still widely used in the manufacture of high-quality overcoats, the coat itself instead took the name Mackintosh, swapping his ‘c’ for a ‘k’.

Fabric and rubber sandwich

Born in Glasgow in 1766, Macintosh developed a process whereby a thin layer of melted rubber could be sandwiched between two layers of fabric. Thus, the resulting coat looked no different to any other, despite being able to prevent the ingress of water.

Macintosh died in Dunchattan in July 1843, aged 76. The Albion of 7 August 1843 ran a short obituary which revealed his global renown. “His successful practical application of scientific principles to the manufacture of various ingredients used in the process of dyeing, printing and bleaching, is known to the whole mercantile world; and the large works which he carried on for these purposes at Hurlet, Campsie, and Dunchattan, have long been objects of interest to strangers visiting Glasgow.”