1921 1 2 Francis Okie works with 3M to create Wetordry™ Waterproof Garnet Paper, the first water-resistant sandpaper. While sanding, a user could use water or oil to reduce dust and friction. It revolutionizes the sandpaper industry. A University of California student, John Larson, invents the polygraph – or “lie detector” – machine. Police begin to use it for interrogations in 1924.