Earl Silas Tupper

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Earl Silas Tupper

1907-1983

American chemist and inventor who revolutionized the plastics industry with the development and introduction of Tupperware, which he invented in the 1930s but did not produce until 1947 because of World War II. While a chemist at E.I. duPont de Nemours, Inc., Tupper developed a synthetic polymer that produced a pliable but sturdy plastic, which he called Poly T. In 1942 he founded the Tupperware Corporation, which became famous for its nesting plastic bowls with airtight lids.