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Did you know that in the early days of sailing, cargo was shipped around the
world in bulk? Products were held together with a crate, burlap, or rope. Can you imagine how wet and dirty your tennis shoes might be if they spent 15 days out on the open sea just bundled in a rope net?
Shipping cargo in bulk was a hard and messy job. Heavy and awkward to handle, the cargo was difficult to load or unload aboard ship. Cargo could easily be damaged. Of course, all these problems caused delays.
As international trade increased, bulk shipping could not keep up with businesses that demanded fast delivery. In the 1960s, the U.S. military started using standardized boxes for moving cargo. Gradually ships, trucks, and railroad cars changed to accommodate containerized cargo. Cranes were built to load and unload them. This simple box enabled fast and safe delivery. Most importantly, the cargo arrived clean, dry, and complete. Now, businesses can ship anything — from apples to computers to tennis shoes — around the world in a container.
Study question: Are containers used on airplanes? Why or why not?
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