The Power of an Empty Metal Box

We’ve been shipping stuff across oceans for centuries. But until 1956, we loaded our ships in the dumbest way possible: one at a time. Then Malcolm McClean came along. He envisioned lifting the big metal box part off a truck and setting it directly down onto a ship. Every one of these boxes would be identical and interchangeable, maximizing space and minimizing waste. The shipping container was born — an idea that was so powerful, it rejiggered the global economy, gutted cities, and turned China into the world’s manufacturer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can listen to The Power of an Empty Metal Box online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Power of an Empty Metal Box is an episode from Unsung Science by CBS News.

This episode is 39:30 long.

This episode was published on May 26, 2023.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Unsung Science when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.