The Tin Can
The preservation of calories and empires.
Explore this event on the interactive timeline →Following the discovery that sealing and heating food prevented spoilage, British merchant Peter Durand patented the use of tin-plated iron canisters. This created the first shelf-stable, indestructible food supply.
Verified Facts
- Before the tin can, armies and explorers had to rely on heavily salted meat, hardtack, or foraging, which frequently led to scurvy, starvation, and mutiny.
- The ability to safely store food for years revolutionized military logistics, allowing the British Empire to project power across the globe without their sailors starving.
- Hilariously, the tin can was invented 48 years *before* the first dedicated can opener was invented in 1858. Early soldiers had to open their rations using bayonets, rocks, or even gunfire.