"Food used to spoil in refrigerated containers but now it doesn't because of science." OK, but there's almost no elaboration about what was changed. "They pack things differently and cool from below" seems a somewhat inadequate payoff.

They also invented Transfer Pricing, Shell Companies and Non-domicile status. They fought the UK tax office for over 100 years to keep profits made on foreign soil, legislation was introduced to try and tax them but loopholes and vagueness about language thwarted the authorities.

They were Britain's richest family for most of that time and still enjoy royal patronage.

http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/aug/11/features1...

although the technology was initially used to transport meat via rails, hammond's company (and the rest of the meat trust) quickly adapted the technology for transatlantic shipping (circa 1875) [1].

[0] http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/series/chicago-innovat...

[1] http://library.buffalo.edu/pan-am/exposition/food/health/mea...