General view of an exhibition display panel marketing Toxaphene, a synthetic organic insecticide toxicant manufactured and sold by the Hercules Powder Company.
Formed in 1912 as part of an anti-trust settlement with DuPont, the Hercules Powder Company (later Hercules Inc.) initially specialized in the manufacture of explosives and smokeless powders and subsequently diversified its business to encompass a variety of industrial products, including pine and paper chemicals, synthetics, pigments, polymers, and cellulose.