A nematic phases with polar order (Fig ) has recently realised experimentally, presenting an interesting counterpoint to the apolar nematics we encounter daily. In 1916 Max Born speculated that a polar (and thus ferroelectric) fluid would exist if the molecular electric dipole moments are large enough that dipole-dipole interactions between molecules are sufficient to overcome thermal fluctuations. The push to develop and deploy apolar nematic liquid crystals in display technology, coupled with the absence of experimental proof of the existence of polar nematic phases, meant that Born's conjecture was seemingly forgotten by experimentalists. Frank and Brand 4 made theoretical arguments to show that, for polar nematics, spontaneous splay deformation provides a means to escape polar order.