The U.S. military used it during the Civil War. The first patent for a real can opener was signed by Ezra J. Warner on January 5, 1858. After all "C" Rations were the reason for the P-38 being issued to our soldiers and becoming an integral part of every GI's kit. By squeezing the rim between the two wheels, the Star maintained a firm and steady grip on the can. Canning food is a great way to make foods last longer, and a can opener is the tool that we use to easily open the cans. This first opener worked like a bayonet and a sickle, as the blade punctured the can, and the sickle lifted the lid.

The opener left extremely rough edges and so never really … No history of the P-38 can opener would be complete without the mention of "C" Rations.

The can opener entered the modern age in 1925, when the Star Can Opener Company of San Francisco improved on Lyman’s wheel blade by adding a second, serrated wheel, called a “feed wheel” or “turning gear,” to ride below the rim of the can. For the most complete and accurate information about P-38 Can Openers. … Can Opener Notables. The idea of storing food in cans dates back almost 50 years earlier when Peter Durand of England patented a can made of wrought iron with a tin lining. This was a very simple design mainly using wedges to poke an opening in the can and then splitting it open with a sharp wedge. Also known as the P-38, John Wayne, or the pocket can opener.
Odds are that even if they can't remember all of the different blades or how to use them properly, they will recall the little Church Key style opener. In 1866, J. Osterhoudt patented the tin can with a key opener that you can find on sardine cans.

The U.S. military used it during the Civil War. In 1978, the Figural Bottle Openers Club was founded in response to the very few, but very enthusiastic collectors out there. This design became known as a “bayonet and sickle” type can opener. A can opener, simply understood, is a device that eases the process of cutting into a metal can. The first such tool popped up in 1858, almost a half century after the can was invented, when Ezra Warner patented the first dedicated can opener.

It used a chisel as a wedge to cut a hole throw the edge of the can and then a blade would them slice up the rest of the can. The first can opener created by Ezra J. Warner.

I started out researching military dog tags and found that dog tags and P38 can openers go hand in hand. First Patented Can Opener The first tin can were so thick they had to be hammered open. On January 5, 1858, Waterbury native Ezra J. Warner invented the first US can opener. P-38 Can Openers History John Wayne Patent Information Manufacturers C Rations P-51 Can Opener Second World War WWII Blue Prints Photos. Back then, tin cans started to replace the heavy iron cans. DogTagsRus has teamed with Georgia-Outfitters to bring you the most concise history we can of the P-38 and P-51 Can Openers. Can Opener - History of Can Opener. P38.org . 1858 – Ezra Warner patented the first can opener 1870 – William Lyman invented the rotating wheel opener 1956 – Udico produced the first popular electric can opener 1966 – Ermal Fraze invented the pull-open can. Can Opener.
This handy little tool was first designed for military use by the Subsistence Research Laboratory in 1942. It was the answer to the Army’s need for an easy to use and lightweight tool to open the cans that … Continue reading A Can Opener That Made History In 1858, Ezra Warner of Waterbury, Connecticut patented the first can opener. This is because most of us have some canned food in our homes. The U.S. military used it during the Civil War. As cans became thinner, it became possible to invent simpler can openers. These figural openers can be all sorts of things: if you can name it, it can be a bottle opener. At this time, writes Connecticut History, … tech history — Don’t lose a finger: The 200-year evolution of the can opener It took 15 years to invent the can. It took 100 more to invent a standard way to open it.