Flat wooden or plastic platforms used for storing and moving goods, typically with forklifts. Essential equipment in warehousing and shipping industries.
From French 'palette,' originally meaning a small shovel or blade. The modern shipping sense developed in the 20th century as mechanized cargo handling required standardized platforms.
The humble pallet revolutionized global commerce - by standardizing how goods are moved, these simple wooden platforms enabled the container shipping boom that makes international trade economically viable. They're the unsung heroes of globalization.
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