Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day!

National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day is observed annually on the last Monday in January. The primary purpose of bubble wrap is to protect fragile items either in shipping or storage. People also get enjoyment from popping the bubbles in bubble wrap.

Engineers Marc Chavannes and Alfred Fielding sealed two shower curtains together in 1956 in the town of Hawthorne, New Jersey. This technique created a smattering of air bubbles which the engineers initially thought would make a great wallpaper! Sales for the wallpaper never materialized, so they moved to selling the product as greenhouse insulation.

The Sealed Air Corporation was founded in 1960, but Air Cap (name before it became Bubble Wrap) wasn’t used for shipping until IBM starting shipping the 1401 computer in 1961. Bubble Wrap is a trademarked brand of Sealed Air Corporation.