Willa Paskin

Soon she was selling a lot of Stanley, which, by the way, is not the same company that makes the current, very popular Big Cup. And she wanted to sell even more. But she hit a wall. Or rather, the man who ran the company.

And so Brownie decided she was going to find something else to sell. A colleague had just pointed out a new product available in department stores. A product created by a chemist named Earl Tupper.

And so Brownie decided she was going to find something else to sell. A colleague had just pointed out a new product available in department stores. A product created by a chemist named Earl Tupper.

And so Brownie decided she was going to find something else to sell. A colleague had just pointed out a new product available in department stores. A product created by a chemist named Earl Tupper.

Long before he created his namesake product, Earl was constantly jotting down ideas and sketches in a notebook, like for a fish-powered boat and for pants that wouldn't lose their crease. When the Great Depression hit, he took a job to support his family in a plastics factory in Massachusetts. By the 1940s, he had his own plastics manufacturing company.

Long before he created his namesake product, Earl was constantly jotting down ideas and sketches in a notebook, like for a fish-powered boat and for pants that wouldn't lose their crease. When the Great Depression hit, he took a job to support his family in a plastics factory in Massachusetts. By the 1940s, he had his own plastics manufacturing company.

Long before he created his namesake product, Earl was constantly jotting down ideas and sketches in a notebook, like for a fish-powered boat and for pants that wouldn't lose their crease. When the Great Depression hit, he took a job to support his family in a plastics factory in Massachusetts. By the 1940s, he had his own plastics manufacturing company.

And when World War II ended, the multinational chemical company DuPont reached out and asked if Tupper could figure out what to do with this material they'd developed, a hard brown slag product they called polyethylene.

And when World War II ended, the multinational chemical company DuPont reached out and asked if Tupper could figure out what to do with this material they'd developed, a hard brown slag product they called polyethylene.

And when World War II ended, the multinational chemical company DuPont reached out and asked if Tupper could figure out what to do with this material they'd developed, a hard brown slag product they called polyethylene.

Earl started experimenting with polyethylene, mixing it, processing it, refining it, and eventually he turned it into something brand new.

Earl started experimenting with polyethylene, mixing it, processing it, refining it, and eventually he turned it into something brand new.

Earl started experimenting with polyethylene, mixing it, processing it, refining it, and eventually he turned it into something brand new.

Earl named this promising new material poly-T and set out to find a use for it. One day, Earl saw a paint can with its resealable lid, and he realized something like that would be really useful for food. At the time, home food storage was very haphazard. 1940s housewives would improvise, sometimes putting leftovers in a bowl and covering them with a shower cap.

Earl named this promising new material poly-T and set out to find a use for it. One day, Earl saw a paint can with its resealable lid, and he realized something like that would be really useful for food. At the time, home food storage was very haphazard. 1940s housewives would improvise, sometimes putting leftovers in a bowl and covering them with a shower cap.

Earl named this promising new material poly-T and set out to find a use for it. One day, Earl saw a paint can with its resealable lid, and he realized something like that would be really useful for food. At the time, home food storage was very haphazard. 1940s housewives would improvise, sometimes putting leftovers in a bowl and covering them with a shower cap.

Earl saw an opening for something better. And so using his poly-T material, he set about creating a new kind of storage container. Unbreakable, attractive, and with an airtight, resealable lid. He named the resulting product Tupperware. And by 1946, he was ready to start placing his first products, including the pastel-colored Wonderball, in department stores. Where they promptly just...

Earl saw an opening for something better. And so using his poly-T material, he set about creating a new kind of storage container. Unbreakable, attractive, and with an airtight, resealable lid. He named the resulting product Tupperware. And by 1946, he was ready to start placing his first products, including the pastel-colored Wonderball, in department stores. Where they promptly just...

Earl saw an opening for something better. And so using his poly-T material, he set about creating a new kind of storage container. Unbreakable, attractive, and with an airtight, resealable lid. He named the resulting product Tupperware. And by 1946, he was ready to start placing his first products, including the pastel-colored Wonderball, in department stores. Where they promptly just...

sat on the shelf.