History
The tin can was patented in 1810 by British merchant Peter Durand, based on experimental food preservation work in glass containers by the French inventor Nicholas Appert the year before. Durand did not pursue food canning himself, but, in 1812, sold his patent to two Englishmen, Bryan Donkin and John Hall, who set up a commercial canning factory, and by 1813 were producing their first canned goods for the British Army.
Early cans were sealed with lead soldering, which led to lead poisoning. Famously, in the 1845 Arctic expedition of Sir John Franklin, crew members suffered from severe lead poisoning after three years of eating canned food.
In 1901, the American Can Company was founded which, at the time, produced 90% of United States tin cans.
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“Every literary critic believes he will outwit history and have the last word.”
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