We have a machinist from New Jersey to thank for the invention of modern-day glitter . In 1934, Henry Ruschmann devised a way to crush up plastic to produce large quantities of the shiny stuff. He created a manufacturing company — Meadowbrook Glitter — to double down on his brainchild and now, decades later, that crushed up shiny stuff is everywhere to be found in makeup aisles, from lipglosses to eyeliners , and most definitely eyeshadows.