Fred Baur
He designed the iconic Pringles can, a triumph of food engineering that reshaped how we snack.
1918–2008 (age 90)·American organic chemist and food storage scientist·Birthday: July 14·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Fred Baur was a man of science whose work touched the mundane and the marvelous. An organic chemist by training, he spent decades at Procter & Gamble tackling problems of food preservation and packaging. His most famous creation, the hyperbolic paraboloid of the Pringles chip and its signature tubular container, was born from a desire to solve the broken-chip problem plaguing traditional bags. Patented in 1971, the design was as much a feat of structural engineering as it was of snack science. Beyond the chip tube, Baur's expertise in oils and fats improved commercial frying, and he even contributed to early space food technology with work on freeze-dried ice cream. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he studied the effects of high altitude on pilots, he brought a rigorous, systematic mind to the kitchen pantry, leaving a legacy sealed in foil and cardboard.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Fred was born in 1918, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Fred Was Born
The biggest hits of 1918
Fred's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1918Born
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Started school
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1931Became a teenager
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1934Could drive
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1936Could vote
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Turned 21
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1948Turned 30
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 40
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 50
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 60
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 70
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 80
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Died at 90
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Key Achievements
- Patented the distinctive tubular container and stacking method for Pringles potato chips in 1971.
- Developed advanced frying oils that improved the quality and shelf life of commercial snack foods.
- Contributed to the creation of freeze-dried ice cream for space and military applications.
- Served as an aviation physiologist in the U.S. Navy, researching the physical stresses of flight.
Did You Know?
Per his wishes, a portion of his ashes were buried in a Pringles can.
He held a PhD in organic chemistry from Ohio State University.
His Pringles container patent was filed in 1966 but not granted until five years later.
“The canister is not just a package; it is an integral part of the product.”
