Skip to main content

How containerization shaped the modern world - Sir Harold Evans

573,489 Views

18,820 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

Sometimes a single unlikely idea can have massive impact across the world. Sir Harold Evans, the author of They Made America, describes how frustration drove Malcom McLean, a small-town truck driver, to invent the shipping container. Containerization was born, and it transformed the modern global economy.

The video concludes by crediting containerization with “shrinking our world and enlarging human choice.” “Human choice” might mean consumer choice—that is, expanding the range of products available for people to buy—but what other kinds of “human choice” does globalization enlarge?

Sign in to answer question

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Sir Harold Evans
  • Animator Sunni Brown
  • Narrator Sir Harold Evans

More from Inventions that Shape History