Container shipping is a vital part of the global economy. Goods from all around the world are placed in large metal containers which are transported across the ocean in ships, then loaded onto tractor-trailers and railroad flatbeds. But when and where did this world-changing invention get started?
This fascinating talk traces the birth of containerization to Port Newark in New Jersey, in 1956, when trucker Malcom McLean thought of a brilliant new way to transport cargo. Professor Gillespie will explain the approach from the ocean to the docks, with a review of the lighthouses, forts, islands, and anchorages along the way.