Michael Thonet was the first industrial designer in history, and the phrase "Thonet Style" is only a tribute to him. He had a significant influence on mass production, industrialization, and furniture. Thonet believed that bentwood chairs were particularly inventive because they were produced in large quantities. Due to the production method he developed, Bentwood or Thonet chairs started to appear all over the world, opening up a new market for Europe and the United States' burgeoning economies.