An Artistic Vision Gone Awry

In 1957, New Jersey engineers Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes embarked on a mission to create a unique textured wallpaper. Their method involved sealing two shower curtains together, inadvertently trapping air bubbles between the plastic layers. This quirky creation, however, failed to capture the imagination of the public as a home decor item.

From Greenhouse to Global Packaging

Undeterred by their initial setback, Fielding and Chavannes then attempted to market their bubbly invention as greenhouse insulation, which also proved unsuccessful. The true 'aha!' moment arrived in 1961 when a marketer from their company, Sealed Air Corporation, recognized its potential to protect fragile items during shipping, especially for IBM's newly released 1401 computer.