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How cargo ships got so huge — and transformed the world economy

The MSC Oscar, launched earlier this month, has the greatest capacity of any container ship on the planet. It can carry over 19,200 20-foot shipping containers. That's enough space for 117 million pairs of sneakers. But it probably won't hold the title for long: For the last several years, the record has been broken every year.

To understand how container ships got so huge, you have to go back 60 years, when overseas shipping was so cumbersome and and expensive that many companies simply choose not to try. The video above explains the origins of the container ship and how they drastically changed the world.

Further reading: The MSC Oscar just became the world's biggest container ship

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