Office supplier Herman Miller introduced the Action Office 1 in 1964.
It featured wall-less work spaces of varying heights that allowed freedom of movement.
The designers believed Action Office 1 was ideally suited to small professional offices, where managers and employees often interacted using the same furniture.
But the product was expensive and flopped big time.
Herman Miller quickly redesigned Action Office 1 and re-released it as Action Office 2.
The redesign was a hit.
Today we call the product a "cubicle."
In 1970, the designer of the Action Office 1 wrote that Action Office 2 was perfect for "planners looking for ways of cramming in a maximum number of bodies, for 'employees' (as against individuals), for 'personnel,' corporate zombies, the walking dead, the silent majority."
