Charlie says: "With all the silly putty on your site lately I thought this would be interesting. It's a 1945 Popular Science article about silicone rubber, including silly putty.
Quote from the article:
"A use remains to be found for the most curious silicone product discovered which has been nicknamed "bouncing putty." The white substance can be pulled like taffy – but roll it into a sphere, and it bounces like rubber."