Fascinating
facts about the invention
of the can
opener by Ezra
Warner in 1858. |
CAN
OPENER |
|
| The first practical
can opener was developed 50 years after the birth of the metal can. Canned
food was invented for the British Navy in 1813. Made of solid iron, the cans usually
weighed more than the food they held! The inventor, Peter Durand, was guilty of an
incredible oversight. Though he figured out how to seal food into cans, he gave little
thought to how to get it out again. Instructions read: "Cut round the top
near the outer edge with a chisel and hammer." Only when thinner steel cans
came into use in the 1860s could the can opener be invented. The first (patented in
1858), devised by Ezra Warner of Waterbury, Connecticut, looked like a bent bayonet. Its
large curved blade was driven into a can’s rim, then forcibly worked around its
edge. Stranger yet, this first type of can opener never left the grocery
store. A clerk had to open each can before it was taken away! |
 |
The modern can opener, with a cutting wheel that
rolls around the rim, was invented by William Lyman of the United States in 1870. The only change from the original patent was the introduction of a
serrated rotation wheel by the Star Can Company of San Francisco in 1925. The basic principle continues to be used on the modern can openers, and it
was the basis of the first electric can opener, intorduced in December 1931.
Pull-open cans, patented by Ermal Fraze of Ohio, debuted in 1966. |
TO
LEARN MORE
RELATED INFORMATION:
History of Household Items from The Great Idea Finder
ON THE BOOKSHELF:
The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle: And Other Surprising Stories About Inventions
by Don L. Wulffson / Paperback - 128 pages (1999)
/ Puffin
Brief factual stories about how various familiar things were invented, many by accident,
from animal crackers to the zipper.
Panati’s
Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things
by Charles Panati / Paperback - 480 pages Reissue edition (September 1989) / HarperCollins
Discover the fascinating stories behind the origins of over 500 everyday items,
expressions and
ON THE SCREEN:
Digi-tech
DVD / 1 Volume Set / 50 Minutes / History Channel / Less than $25.00
See how the computing capacity of World-War II era room-sized computers
is now surpassed by hand-held devices; visit Zenith to see a
side-by-side comparison of regular television and HDTV; discover how a
Cold War era NASA program is transforming personal photography, and get
the inside story about MP3s.
Household Wonders
DVD / 1 Volume Set / 50 Minutes / History Channel / Less than $25.00
HOUSEHOLD WONDERS tells the story of seven taken-for-granted inventions
that make modern life comfy, fast and clean: the stove, sewing machine,
refrigerator, air conditioner, washing machine, vacuum cleaner, toaster
and mixer.customs.
ON THE WEB:
National
Museum of Science and Technology
The largest of its kind in Canada devoted to Science and Technology education.
Only when thinner cans of steel came into use in the late 1850's was it possible to create
a can opener.
(URL:
www.science-tech.nmstc.ca/english/schoolzone/Domestic_Technology2.cfm)
They Invented
it When? The Can Opener
News of science, medicine, and technology by Fenella Saunders.
(URL: www.discover.com/issues/mar-01/rd/breakinvented.html)
Can Opener
Project
This can opener design was a class project by students at Temasek Polytechnic School of
Engineering. Lots of COOKIES at this site.
(URL: www.ptc.com/award/1999/design_html/188.htm)
WHERE TO FIND:
Black &
Decker Grand Openings Can Opener
by Black & Decker / EC1200 / ASIN: B00004SC5M / Less
than $20.00
Everything from little tuna and soup cans to tall coffee and juice cans fits under
this countertop electric opener. A built-in knife sharpener and bottle opener make it a
convenient tool for busy households.
|
| Reference
Sources in BOLD Type |
This
page revised March, 2005. |
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