Andy Warhol’s iconic Campbell’s Soup Cans can trace its lineage back to MIT.

John Dorrance (Class of 1895) went on to get his doctorate, and applied his knowledge in several famous restaurants in Paris. The chemist later convinced his uncle—the general manager of Joseph Campbell & Co.—to hire him.

Under the unusual terms of his employment (he paid for his own lab equipment and took only a nominal salary), Dorrance created a formula to remove water from soup, cutting the product’s shipping and retail costs and revolutionizing the company. Thus condensed soup was born!

Within 14 years, his can-do attitude helped him become the company’s president.