National Inventors Hall of Fame Inducts Michael J. Owens
April 03 2007 - 6:01PM
PR Newswire (US)
Owens revolutionized the glass industry with the invention of the
automatic glass bottle-making machine PERRYSBURG, Ohio, April 3
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Everyday great inventions and the
geniuses behind them go unrecognized. Then, there are some
inventions making such an impact on our daily lives that they must
be recognized and honored. Today, Michael J. Owens finally receives
that honor. (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050412/CLTU028LOGO ) The
National Inventors Hall of Fame today announced that 41 inventors
will be inducted into the 2007 hall of fame. Among those are Owens
and his revolutionary invention -- the automatic glass
bottle-making machine. Michael J. Owens, a glassmaker since the age
of 10, moved to Ohio to join a start-up glass company founded by
Edward Libbey in 1888 and began America's first industry --
glassmaking. Libbey financed Owens' dream of creating a
glassblowing machine, the most significant development in
glassmaking since the invention of the blowpipe more than 3,000
years ago. Owens' success came in 1903. That's when he made the
first automatic glass bottle-making machine that could create
bottles so quickly and cheaply it facilitated the growth of
numerous industries that bottled everything from food and beverages
to household chemicals. He went on to help develop mass- production
techniques for window glass and helped guide the company into
research that eventually led to the production of fiberglass. This
invention made glass a commodity instead of a luxury. It also
helped to eliminate child labor, which was rampant in the early
glassblowing days. His work also made it possible for thousands of
jobs to be created - jobs that are still in existence today. The
Owens machine, which led to the formation of the Owens Bottle
Company, literally revolutionized the glass industry and the O-I
family tree began to grow. Owens Bottle and the Illinois Glass
Company which was started at Alton in 1873, merged to form
Owens-Illinois in 1929. In 1965, the corporate name was changed
from Owens-Illinois Glass Co. to Owens-Illinois, Inc., (NYSE:OI) to
reflect the broader scope of operations. In recent years, the
company that started by a single invention has significantly
increased its worldwide operations, both through internal growth as
well as acquisitions. In 2005, Owens-Illinois, Inc. began doing
business worldwide as O-I. "We're honored to recognize Michael
Owens' achievements by inducting him into the National Inventors
Hall of Fame this year. What he did gave rise to a whole industry
and gave us a world of technology we have the luxury of taking for
granted nowadays. He deserves to be better known as an inventor who
played an important role in the history of our economy and our
society," said Fred Allen, Vice President for Selection, National
Inventors Hall of Fame. The 2007 inductees will be honored during a
recognition ceremony on Friday, May 4, at the National Inventors
Hall of Fame headquarters in Akron, Ohio. The total number of
inductees in the Hall come May will be 371. About O-I Millions of
times a day, O-I glass containers, healthcare packaging and
specialty closure systems deliver many of the world's best-known
consumer products to people all around the world. With leading
positions in Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and Latin America,
O-I provides consumer-preferred products that enable superior
taste, purity, visual appeal and value benefits for our customers'
products. Established in 1903, the company employs nearly 30,000
people and has more than 100 manufacturing facilities in 23
countries. In 2006, annual sales were $7.4 billion. For more
information, visit http://www.o-i.com/. About the National
Inventors Hall of Fame The not-for-profit National Inventors Hall
of Fame Foundation is one of the premier organizations in America
dedicated to honoring and fostering creativity and invention. Each
year a new class of inventors is inducted into the Hall of Fame in
recognition of their patented inventions that make human, social,
and economic progress possible. Founded in 1973 by the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office and the National Council of Intellectual
Property Law Association, the Hall's permanent home is Akron, Ohio,
where the inventors in the Hall are honored and from where it
administers its national programs, including Camp Invention(R),
Club Invention(R), Invent Now(R), and the Collegiate Inventors
Competition(R).
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050412/CLTU028LOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Owens-Illinois, Inc.
CONTACT: Kelley Yoder of O-I Corporate Communications,
+1-567-336-1388 Web site: http://www.o-i.com/
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