Keith Tantlinger

Keith Tantlinger died last month aged 92. You're probably asking who Keith Tantlinger is? Well, he's the engineer who invented the modern shipping container. Go to The Register and read the article The amazing shipping container: How it changed the world. To quote:

He's someone you almost certainly haven't heard of and someone who – along with Malcolm McLean (no, not McLaren) – changed our world to the extent that it would have been almost unrecognisable to our forefathers. They also – if you want to squint at it – made the European Union redundant six months before it even started.

The Telegraph has an obituary for Keith Tantlinger and discusses the history of the shipping container. It's an informative read and well recommended.