Free Republic

Robert Leo Hulseman. He's the man who invented the red Solo cup, staple at every party ever. He died last week at age 84.

(CNN)2016 is still not done. Before we lost George Michael, Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds this week, we lost someone who's probably had just as big an impact on our lives, though you've never heard of him: Robert Leo Hulseman. He's the man who invented the red Solo cup, staple at every party ever. He died last week at age 84. The Solo Cup Company was the family business -- Hulseman's dad started it in 1936 -- and Hulseman started working in the company factory when he was 18, according to his obit on Legacy.com.

As top 10 country hit “Red Solo Cup” begins being worked to pop formats, songwriter Jim Beavers says he’s long since stopped underestimating the potential of the goofy little song that took on a life of its own. Although Beavers says, “I’ve determined that about 75% of the people love it and 25% hate it with the heat of a thousand burning suns,” the song has sold nearly a million and a half downloads (and counting), and was No. 1 on the country downloads chart for multiple weeks. The video, in which Beavers and his songwriting partners play a major...