Port Newark and the Origins of Container Shipping (Hybrid)

Container shipping is a vital part of the global economy.  Goods from all around the world are placed in large metal containers which are transported across the ocean in ships, then loaded onto tractor-trailers and railroad flatbeds.  But when and where did this world-changing invention get started?  This fascinating talk traces the birth of containerization to Port Newark in New Jersey, in 1956 when trucker Malcom McLean thought of a brilliant new way to transport cargo.  The speaker also explains the approach from the ocean to the docks, with a review of the lighthouses, forts, islands, and anchorages along the way. 

Angus Gillespie is a professor of American Studies at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.  He is a Fulbright Professor and a New York Times best-selling author.  His scholarship deals with the design and construction of the built environment including works such as bridges, roads, canals, dams, buildings, and tunnels.  His many books include Looking for America on the New Jersey Turnpike (1989) co-authored with Michael Aaron Rockland, recognized by the New Jersey State Library as one of the ten best books ever written about the state. 

This event is co-sponsored by the NJ Room at the Newark Public Library.

This program is being recorded.