2006-09-08 02:06:06 · 18 answers · asked by clive e 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
The can. As other people have said there could be no can-opener until there was a can to open.
But... there was a long gap between the invention of the can and that of the can opener - The can was invented in 1810, and was made of heavy tin, which was hard to get into. Soldiers, who were the initial targets of canned food in the Napoleonic wars, used their bayonettes to open the tins... but sometimes the thickness of the metal meant that that wasn't enough and soldiers were reduced to shooting at the tins in an attempt to open them.
Later manufaturing processes improved, the metal of the tins grew thinner, making dedicated tin openers more practical. The first was patented in 1858.
2006-09-08 02:50:57 · answer #1 · answered by robcraine 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The can opener. Why becuase ask yourself, when you don't have a can opener, what do you use?
A knife, a screwdriver... these are the original can openers, not what we think of as the traditonal can opener. In which case the can opener pre-dates the can.
Also look at it. I've made a can, I've just placed a product e.g beansinside it and sealed it. How am I going to get them out? Whilst I work on the deisng of the can opener, I'II use a knife to open the can....
2006-09-08 09:17:19 · answer #2 · answered by ScottishWalrus 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You know wat,.... considering how weird reality can be, somebody probably invented the opener first (the opener being just a knife or sharp object) and then realized that he dint have anything to open and then invented the can.
Reality is really stranger than fiction and i once read this forward where there are these really obvious questions but they all have screwed up answers.
2006-09-08 10:14:26 · answer #3 · answered by louzadodude 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are invented at the same time. How can you invented can and there is no way to open it up with..
2006-09-08 09:17:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Obviously the can. You are not going to invent a can opener if there isn't a can to open :)
2006-09-08 09:08:39 · answer #5 · answered by harvestmoon 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
inventions like these are invented in the same time they didnt make a cap then they n\knew they cant oppen it
when u make a cap u will think of how u will open it befor manufacturing
i hope these questions stop
2006-09-08 13:00:31 · answer #6 · answered by koki83 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the can because anything could be used as a can opener but if there was no can to open then there would be no can openers.
2006-09-08 09:23:21 · answer #7 · answered by Ruth W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why would you need a can opener if you didn't have a can?
2006-09-08 09:11:40 · answer #8 · answered by Kimmyray 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well lets see... i think the CAN first then two minutes later the dude thought.. mmmmmm now how will i open this contraption of mine - and voila.. the Can opener then came up..
2006-09-08 09:31:21 · answer #9 · answered by Condie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well im not sure why, and it makes absolutely no sense but i have read that the can opener came before the can
2006-09-08 09:12:27 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋