Weird Fact Cafe

Learn More

You Won't BELIEVE Where the Creator of Pringles is Buried! illustration
You Won't BELIEVE Where the Creator of Pringles is Buried!

Fredric Baur, an American organic chemist and food storage scientist, profoundly impacted the snack food industry with his ingenious design for the Pringles potato crisp packaging. During his tenure at Procter & Gamble, Baur conceptualized the distinctive tubular container and the method for neatly stacking the saddle-shaped chips inside, filing for a patent in 1966 that was ultimately granted in 1971. This revolutionary packaging addressed the pervasive issue of crushed and broken chips common in traditional bags, ensuring that Pringles maintained their uniform shape and offered a consistent consumer experience.

Baur held immense pride in this invention, regarding it as his most significant professional accomplishment. His deep connection to the Pringles can led him to make an extraordinary final request: that a portion of his cremated remains be interred within one of his iconic creations. When Baur passed away at the age of 89 on May 4, 2008, his children dutifully honored his unusual wish. They procured an original flavor Pringles can, placed some of his ashes inside, and buried it alongside a conventional urn containing the rest of his remains in his grave located in Springfield Township, Cincinnati, Ohio.

This remarkable burial serves as a poignant tribute to Baur's ingenuity and the enduring legacy of his work. Beyond the Pringles can, his career in food science also included notable contributions to the development of frying oils and even freeze-dried ice cream, demonstrating his broad expertise. The cylindrical Pringles container continues to stand as a testament to how innovative packaging design can transform a product, forever associating Fredric Baur with the globally recognized, stackable snack.