The History of Beverage Cans: 200 Years of Innovation

The refreshing sound of a “hiss” and the coolness bursting out—one small beverage can holds 200 years of innovation.

• Learn how military needs gave birth to canned food.
• Explore the evolution from heavy steel cans to lightweight aluminum cans.
• Discover how everyday inconveniences led to great inventions like the pull-tab.

1. Invention Born of War: The Dawn of the “Can”

The “hiss” sound. That familiar and satisfying moment when you open a cold drink just taken from the fridge. This small beverage can in your hand has a 200-year innovative journey behind it, starting from Napoleon’s concerns, the tragedy of Arctic explorers, to a father’s inconvenience.

The story begins in early 19th-century Europe under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. He firmly believed that “an army marches on its stomach” and desperately sought ways to feed his expanding armies across Europe. Preserving food fresh during long expeditions was as crucial a strategic challenge as artillery. In 1804, Napoleon offered a huge prize of 12,000 francs for a revolutionary method to preserve food long-term.

After nearly a decade of research, the prize went to French chef Nicolas Appert. His method involved placing food in thick glass jars, sealing them with cork, and heating them in boiling water. This was the beginning of canning, specifically “bottled canning”. Though revolutionary, heavy and fragile glass was impractical for battlefield use.

The solution came from across the sea in rival Britain. In 1810, British merchant Peter Durand patented containers made of tin-plated iron instead of glass. He called this container a “tin canister,” the direct ancestor of the modern can. Strong, lightweight, and completely light-blocking, these iron containers soon became official supplies for the British Navy.

The name’s origin is also interesting. In Britain, cans are still often called “tin,” derived from Durand’s term. In contrast, when the technology reached the U.S., Americans shortened “canister” to “can.” The Korean word “깡통 (ggangtong)” also traces back to the Dutch “kan,” which came to Japan and then Korea, showing a shared root.

Case Study: Tragedy Caused by Perfect Preservation

Early cans were extremely sturdy. Focusing solely on protecting contents, an empty can weighed nearly 500g, and opening one required a hammer and chisel. It took another 50 years before the can opener was invented.

This obsession with perfect preservation sometimes led to terrible tragedies. The 1845 John Franklin expedition searching for the Northwest Passage is a prime example. They carried many canned foods but disappeared during the voyage and were found dead. Later scientific analysis of their remains revealed lethal levels of lead. The cause was the cans themselves, sealed with lead solder, which slowly leached into the food and poisoned the crew. The very preservation container meant to save them ironically took their lives. This incident left an important lesson in packaging history: the balance between perfect preservation and safe, convenient access is vital.

2. The Steel Challenge: Putting Carbonation in Cans

Having solved food preservation, can technology soon faced a new challenge: containing carbonated beverages, especially beer. The internal pressure from carbonation was far stronger than expected. Even leading companies like “American Can” faced repeated failures with exploding beer cans.

Case Study: Krueger’s Success After Prohibition Repeal

The decisive breakthrough came not from technology but social change. In 1933, the end of Prohibition in the U.S. opened a huge beer market overnight. Brewing companies and metallurgists seized the opportunity to accelerate canned beer development. Finally, in 1935, New Jersey’s Krueger Brewing Company launched the world’s first canned beer.

This first canned beer was made of steel. It was a “3-piece” can, consisting of a cylindrical body, bottom, and lid assembled separately. Steel was strong enough to withstand carbonation pressure and completely blocked light, beer’s biggest enemy. Ultraviolet rays in light react with hops to create “lightstruck” off-flavors, commonly called “skunky” beer smell. Steel cans blocked light better than brown bottles.

However, drawbacks were clear. They were still heavy, sometimes imparted a metallic taste, and required a pointed opener called a “church key” to open. Despite this, consumers loved the portability and the convenience of not having to return heavy glass bottles for deposits.

3. A Father’s Inconvenience Changed the World

Though canned beer became popular, the critical inconvenience of needing an opener remained. The hero who solved this small but fatal problem emerged unexpectedly. In 1959, engineer Ermal “Ernie” Fraze, running a machine tool company in Dayton, Ohio, went on a picnic with his family. When he wanted a cold drink, he realized he’d forgotten the opener at home. He had to forcefully puncture the can on his car bumper, spilling the drink and making a mess. At that moment, Fraze thought, “There must be a better way!”

Innovation 1: The Pull-Tab Lid

Returning from the picnic, Fraze immediately started working. His idea was simple: pre-cut a slit in the can lid and rivet a ring-shaped handle on top. Pulling the ring would lever the slit open, removing a portion of the lid. This invention was the “pull-tab,” the first can that could be opened by hand without tools. I remember as a child playing with these pull-tabs on my fingers—such a small invention was a huge innovation.

Innovation 2: The Stay-On Tab Solves the Problem

However, this great invention caused a new problem: people discarded the detached tabs carelessly. Beaches and parks became littered with sharp metal scraps, causing injuries to children and wildlife. Fraze tackled this issue again and in 1975 introduced the elegant “stay-on tab,” the modern “pop-top.” This design keeps the tab attached, pushing the lid inward instead of detaching. It solved both litter and safety issues—a “reinvention of the innovation.”

4. The Aluminum Revolution: Lighter and Cooler

While Fraze revolutionized can opening, the can material itself was undergoing a major transformation. The era of heavy steel was ending, and the lightweight aluminum era was beginning. At the center was Colorado’s Adolph Coors Company. In the 1950s, manager Bill Coors was frustrated that steel cans harmed beer flavor and that discarded cans rusted, polluting the environment. He dreamed of a seamless, lightweight, fully recyclable can. After millions in research, in 1959 they introduced the world’s first seamless “2-piece” recyclable aluminum can.

From 3-Piece to 2-Piece: A Manufacturing Leap

Aluminum’s arrival fundamentally changed can manufacturing.

• 3-piece steel cans: Made by welding three parts—body, lid, bottom. Seams were potential leak and rust points.
• 2-piece aluminum cans: Made by pressing a single aluminum sheet into a cup shape (body and bottom combined), then adding a lid (DWI method). Seamless, stronger, and perfectly sealed.

5. Beverage Cans in Korea: From Vending Machines to Convenience Stores

Beverage cans, developed over decades in the West, became widely popular in Korea in the 1980s, centered around vending machines. Rapid urbanization brought vending machines to streets everywhere, perfectly paired with sturdy, standardized aluminum cans.

Domestic companies like Hanil Container and Lotte Aluminum laid the foundation for Korea’s can manufacturing industry. Lotte Chilsung’s canned coffee “Let’s Be” became a symbol of vending machines and convenience stores, deeply embedded in Korean daily life and culture. What is your favorite canned drink?

6. After the Last Sip: The Never-Ending Journey of the Can

The true superpower of beverage cans shows after the last sip: their near-perfect recyclability. Collected aluminum cans can be recycled and back on store shelves as new cans in just 60 days.

Making cans from recycled aluminum uses only 5% of the energy needed to produce from raw ore and can be recycled infinitely without quality loss.

Case Study: The Paradox of Recycling in Korea

However, even this seemingly perfect system has shadows. Korea’s aluminum can separation rate is a world-leading 96%, but only 37% of that is actually recycled into new cans. Contamination from leftover contents or cigarette butts and economic factors cause many cans to be downcycled into low-quality cast products. This highlights the importance of proper sorting and disposal.

Comparison / Alternatives

Steel Cans vs. Aluminum Cans: The Battle of the Century

Aluminum cans outperform steel cans in almost every aspect. The table below clearly shows why this change was inevitable.

Conclusion

From heavy iron boxes opened with hammer and chisel, the beverage can’s 200-year journey is a history of human creativity, technological progress, and environmental responsibility.

• Key Point 1: Cans were born from the military need to preserve army rations.
• Key Point 2: Efforts to solve consumer inconvenience (pull-tab) and material innovation (aluminum) shaped the modern can.
• Key Point 3: Aluminum cans symbolize a sustainable circular economy with infinite recyclability.

The evolution of cans continues today. Resealable cans, self-cooling cans, smart cans—the future is already inside the can. Next time you open a beverage can, remember the 200 years of innovation behind that “hiss” and try to empty it completely and recycle properly.