"Eggs and oaths are easily broken"
Yes, this is an egg carton. You have all seen one or you even have one right now in your fridge -if you are not vegan. But why am I posting a photo of an egg carton? Well let me tell you why. Something so simple, that most of us use was a bright idea that one once had... Hadn't this idea been born by this specific person, someone else might had come with it or else it wouldn't be possible to carry eggs without breaking them -I doubt that.
Before its invention, eggs were carried in egg baskets. A predecessor to the modern version of it was invented by Thomas Peter Bethell in 1906. He created frames of interlocking strips of cardboard packed in boxes.
The egg carton was invented in 1911 by newspaper editor Joseph Coyle of Smithers, British Columbia, to solve a dispute between a local farmer and hotel owner in Aldermere, as the farmer's eggs were often being delivered broken.
Then a version of the egg carton was patented in 1921 by Morris Koppelman. And the egg carton as we know it today was finally patented in 1969 by United Industrial Syndicate in Maine.
During one of our "Developing your Creativity" lectures our tutor Rod Judkins -one of the most inspiring persons I have ever met- asked if we could make our own egg boxes. Our boxes had to be creative, unique, and serve their purpose. Keeping the eggs safe from breaking. However the crash test was about to be a bit harsh... He would throw the egg box with -the egg inside of course- from his height and it shouldn't break.
Well let me tell you that it was harder than you think.. First of all when you already know how an egg carton looks like, it's difficult to not get "inspired" by it. Then after thinking about your own egg box, you have to make it breakproof..
