On 12 October 1823, Charles Macintosh, a Scottish chemist began selling his new form of waterproof raincoat.

Charles Macintosh was born 29 December 1766 in Glasgow. After studying science under Joseph Black at Edinburgh University he took up the manufacture of chemicals.

His experiments with naphtha led to his invention of waterproof rubberized fabric; the essence of his patent was the cementing of two thicknesses of cloth together with natural rubber. The rubber is made soluble by the action of the naphtha. The naphtha was prepared by distillation of coal tar, with the Bonnington Chemical Works being a major supplier.

In 1830 Macintosh’s company merged with the clothing company of Thomas Hancock in Manchester. Hancock had also been experimenting with rubber coated fabrics since 1819. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the company continued to make waterproof clothing. In 1925 the company was taken over by Dunlop Rubber.

In 2007, the brand was bought by Tokyo firm Yagi Tsusho. – Mackintosh

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