History of the Beverage Can.

For such a mundane item, the beverage can has a surprisingly interesting back-story. Prior to the development of cans, most mass production of beverages involved bottling. Glass bottles were effective for long term storage, but they were quite heavy, which made shipping very expensive. Bottles also break very easily, and that added to the shipping problems.

Photo of Many Cans

Beer companies began experimenting with cans as early as 1929, but it took a while to iron out certain problems. The metal tended to give the beer an unpleasant taste, and they had to develop materials to protect the beverage from direct metal contact. The first beverage cans were made from steel, and even though they were more expensive to manufacture than glass bottles, the increased durability and lighter weight made them quite efficient.

Cans were used extensively during WWII, when beer had to be shipped overseas to troops. During the war, many service men became fond of drinking out of cans, and after the war, companies looked for cheaper ways to give them what they wanted. An eventual change from steel to aluminum helped make the process cheaper and more economically viable.

Canned beer was quite popular long before canned soft drinks entered the market The acidity of soda and a greater amount of pressure inside the cans created serious technical problems that took years to overcome. In the mid 50’s, major companies like Coca-Cola finally started becoming interested in cans, and found ways to take advantage of them.

Early cans were opened with a can piercing device called a church key. One hole would be punched to let the beverage out, and another hole was punched in the other side to let air in. This approach was later replaced by cans with a cone shaped top, and pop-off lids, and those were soon replaced by pull tabs, which were cheaper to manufacture and very convenient.

Most cans these days use a new design where a tab pushed down into a scored area to create a drinking opening. This design works better because it helps people avoid injuries, and decreases litter.

Woman Drinking From Drinks Can

The History of the Beverage/Drinks Can