Canning and the Canneries of the Nineteenth Century

Canning was developed during a period of disaster, but also because it kept evolving from one conflict and one war to the next, over multiple centuries. Napoleon offered up a prize in 17 95 for anybody who could help him develop a better technique for keeping food from spoiling. And so this frenchman who eventually gets the money ends up spending over a decade doing research and development so he can earn the prize. The cans of the nineteenth century look a lot like the ones we see to day. They've got those side ridges that help strengthen them and allow them to expand and contract.