Tin Can Timeline

In 1810 a British inventor invents the tin can. It's very thick at this time.

1813 the first canning factory is opened.
(early seals were made with lead, which we now knows led to lead poisoning.)

1822 William Underwood founded a canning company in Boston. You've probably seen the Underwood logo when you've purchased Deviled Ham. It wasn't until 1836 (another date I found was 1839) that he shifted from glass to steel cans coated with tin.

1846 a machine to make tin cans is invented. It produces sixty tin cans per hour. Prior to that the production of tin cans was 6 per hour.

1858 first can opener invented by Ezra Warner

1860 Baltimore canner Isaac Soloman added calcium chloride to the boiling water to sterilization and reduced the time from 5 to 6 hours to 30 minutes.

1861-1864 US military uses tin can during the Civil War

1866 patent for the tin can with a key opener is invented.

1870 an easier to use can opener is invented by William Lyman

1897 research found by Underwood's grandson and biologist from MIT that spores were contained in the meats canned and would cause the "swells" in the cans. They found that heat at 250 degrees for 10 minutes killed the spores. The process wasn't patented but worked.