Sealed Air Corp. invented iBubble Wrap — which took all the air out of the product — literally. It came uninflated to keep shipping costs down. The worst part? The bubbles didn't pop even when filled with a pump. Ugh. Luckily, the regular version is alive and well!
IBM, sensing an opportunity, used the product to protect the IBM 1401 computer during shipment. By the way, the 1401 is considered to be the Model-T Ford of the computer industry,
The inventors formed the Sealed Air Corporation. They would later wind up in the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame. But that honor didn't come until 1993.
Two engineers, Marc Chavannes and Alfred Fielding, created the first bubble wrap. They originally tried to sell it as wallpaper — an idea that didn't seem to catch on. They later attempted to market it as greenhouse insulation.