Ball brothers

Common card · No. 439722

The Ball brothers (Lucius, William, Edmund, Frank, and George) were five American industrialists and philanthropists who in 1880 established a glass manufacturing business in New York and prospered hugely from their mass production of home canning jars, sometimes known as "Ball jars". In 1888, they moved their glass manufacturing operations from Buffalo, New York, to Muncie, Indiana, due to the abundance of natural gas in the area. By 1937, the value of the company was estimated at nearly $7 million ($157 million in 2025). The family also owned other profitable businesses in Muncie and elsewhere. The brothers were noted for their philanthropy and community service. Earnings from their business ventures provided the financial resources to support a number of civic building projects and large charitable gifts to their home city. Most notably, the brothers became benefactors of several Muncie institutions including Ball State University, Ball Memorial Hospital, Keuka College, the YMCA,...

Read on Wikipedia · Image PD-US