What Was the Original Purpose of Bubble Wrap?

In the 1950s, bubble wrap inventors Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes initially thought that the air-filled material they had created would be a success as three-dimensional wallpaper. When that didn't work out, Fielding and Chavannes tried out their plastic bubble wrap prototype as a greeenhouse insulator, and it worked pretty well. However, Chavannes soon realized that this invention would be perfect as packaging material for fragile items, much better than wadded-up pieces of newspaper... and the rest is history.

Many other uses have been found for bubble wrap, including solar warming covers for swimming pools and insulation for windows.

Top of the pops:

• "Bubble wrap" is a generic trademark owned by the Sealed Air Corporation, a North Carolina-based company co-founded by Alfred Fielding that has made billions selling rolls of its “air-filled hemispheres.”
• The company also likes to remind consumers about the stress-relief potential of the product: Many people just can't resist popping bubble after bubble. The company also offers iBubble wrap, which cannot be popped.
• Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day is celebrated every year on the last Monday in January.