50th Anniversary of Containerization

The History of Containerization Foundation, in cooperation with the Containerization & Intermodal Institute and the Smithsonian Institution, will host the official Gala Celebration marking the 50th anniversary of containerization on April 27 in Washington, DC. On April 26, 1956, the converted tanker IDEAL-X departed Newark, New Jersey en route Houston, Texas carrying 58 aluminum truck bodies in frames installed atop its deck. Malcolm McLean, a former truck company owner, had determined that goods could be shipped less expensively if they were first loaded into standardized containers that could be loaded on ships, trucks, or trains. The rest, as they say, is history.