Alexander Samuelsson (1862 - 1934)
DID YOU KNOW THAT...
the Swede Alexander Samuelsson, born in Kareby, Gothenburg, Bohuslän, Sweden, was involved in the design of the Coca-Cola bottle.
Alexander was born on January 4, 1862, and worked at Surte Glassworks. He decided to emigrate to the USA and Chicago, departing on April 19, 1883, accompanied by his older brother Otto Julius.
Once in the USA, Alexander soon got involved in the glass industry and eventually became the manager at Chapman Root Bottling Company in Indiana. In 1915, the Coca-Cola Company announced a design competition. The design brief was that the bottle should be recognizable by touch in the dark and should be identifiable even if shattered into pieces.
Alexander served as the project leader in the team at Chapman Root Company, and they won the competition, resulting in a patent registered under Alexander Samuelson on November 16, 1915. There were four members in the team, and it is claimed that it was actually Earl R. Dean who designed the bottle in the shape of a cocoa bean.
The bottle went into production in 1916 and became a success. None of the team members made significant profits from the creation, except for Chapman J. Root, who owned the company.
Alexander passed away in 1934, at the age of 72, in his home in Newark, Ohio, USA, after a period of illness.
