As politicians in Washington debate ways to revamp of sagging economy, a look at the life of a man who made tremendous contributions to the global economy back in the 1950s. Keith Tantlinger, inventor of the first viable shipping container (antiquated versions had been in use since the 19th century), died at age 92 last week. Tantlinger was an inventor who was hired by a man named Malcolm McLean to envision a more streamlined and standardized system for shipping goods overseas. His modern version of the shipping container, with twist locks, revolutionized global trade. Marc Levinson, author of “The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy,” talks about the shipping container’s impact on the modern economy.
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