Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Missouri, and the Beistle Company of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, were among the leaders in the development and production of paper honeycomb. In paper goods in particular, honeycomb has transformed the ordinary into the magical. Meshed-tissue honeycomb garlands, centerpieces, and cards have been embraced by the American public since the early twentieth century as fashionable, inexpensive, easy to use, and delightful to one's senses.
Hexel Corp. of Dublin, California, has revolutionized design features of aircraft, trains, cars, and ships by using honeycomb components made of a wide variety of metals, resins, and advanced composites. Tenneco Packaging/Hexacomb Corp. of Lincolnshire, Illinois, and Belcomb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, have been in the forefront of making and using structural building panels with honeycomb cores.
Whether found in nineteenth-century garlands and valentines or late-twentieth century athletic shoes and airplanes, honeycomb never ceases to amaze.
