Inventor of the Red Solo Cup Dead at 84

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Nothing is sacred in 2016.

It's been a year when we've lost many of our faves, and last week we lost one more individual who had a huge impact on our lives, although you may not have known his name.

Robert Leo Hulseman, the inventor of the red Solo cup—the same cup that is used at every cookout, barbecue, family gathering and house party ever—has died at the age of 84.

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According to CNN, Hulseman passed away last week.

The Solo Cup Co. was a family business, started by Hulseman's father in 1936. Hulseman began working in the factory when he was 18, CNN notes, working his way up to CEO and ultimately succeeding his father in 1980. He was responsible for helping to grow the firm into one of the largest food-service-packaging companies in the world.

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As CNN notes, in the beginning, the company, based in Illinois, made the cone-shaped paper cups that often accompany watercoolers in office buildings. In the 1950s, when fountain sodas started becoming popular, it added the wax-lined cups to its products.

It was only around the 1970s, however, that Hulseman came up with the cups that are now synonymous with parties and drinking.

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So next time you take a sip from a red Solo cup, as you hide exactly what you're drinking, think of Hulseman and raise a cup in his honor.

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Breanna Edwards is news editor at The Root. Follow her on Twitter.