Formica is a brand of plastic laminate containing melamine resin. It is particularly used for kitchen surfaces, as it is heat-resistant and wipe-clean.

Invented in 1912 by Daniel J O'Conor and Herbert A. Faber, Formica is a laminate of paper or fabric, manufactured by impregnating the fabric with an adhesive resin at high pressure. This was originally used as an electrical insulator. The material commonly used in those days for electrical insulation was mica. The new product was a substitute “for mica,” so that's what Faber named their new company. (He had no idea that 75 years later, applied to an altogether different product, Formica would be one of the world's 10 best-known brand names.)

http://www.formica.com/history.jsp?page_id=1