Pierre Samuel

The corporation expanded into the chemical products field, acquiring, in the period from 1915 to 1931, 16 large chemical products companies in the United States, the Remington Arms Company, and a large part of the stock of the General Motors Corp. From the time of its beginning in 1802, the company supplied nearly all the military explosives used by the United States in its wars; during World War I, it supplied 40 per cent of the smokeless gunpowder used by all the Allies. Explosives became a minor interest of the du Pont enterprises after 1918; its products included acids, dyes, lacquers, industrial alcohol, cellulose, synthetic fibres such as rayon and nylon, and photographic film. After further expansion in World War II, the company owned 83 factories in 23 states. In the late 1980s, the total sales of E. I. du Pont de Nemours exceeded $32 billion annually.