E1354 - The Origins of AstroTurf

The Houston Astrodome was a marvel of modern engineering: the world’s first fully covered sports stadium; a futuristic symbol of Houston’s rise as the home of NASA’s Mission Control.

But, after its glorious see-through roof created a blinding glare that made it nearly impossible for baseball players to see the ball… on 20th April, 1965, the panels had to be painted over.

And the grass on the pitch began to DIE.

Enter AstroTurf—or, as it was originally called, ChemGrass; a synthetic solution developed by Monsanto for urban recreation...