…in 1907, Earl Tupper, inventor of Tupperware, was born. Raised in central Massachusetts, birthplace of the plastics industry, he was a compulsive tinkerer, inventing, among hundreds of other things, a fish-powered boat. When none of his ventures succeeded, he took a job in a Leominster plastics factory and in 1938 founded his own company. After much trial and error, he came up with the “wonderbowl,” which had an airtight “burping” seal. Sales did not take off until a woman named Brownie Wise persuaded him that Tupperware should be sold where it could be demonstrated — at home parties. Thanks to the quality of the product and Brownie Wise’s success at mobilizing a sales force of “Tupperware Ladies,” the Massachusetts-based company spawned a global enterprise. Click here to read more.