NORBERT RILLIEUX

REFINING SUGAR

Granulating sugar cane on an industrial scale was difficult and dangerous. Then Rillieux—born in New Orleans, educated in Paris— patented a new method in 1846 that was much more efficient and saved laborers from being burned by boiling juice. Still used to make sugar and glue, Rillieux’s system helped the U.S. dominate the 19th-century sugar trade.