The invention of the tin can in 1810 was something of a revolution in the food industry, particularly for the armed forces and explorers. The only problem was how to open them. They were so thick and heavy that opening them was difficult, and was usually done with a hammer and a sharp instrument. In the 1850s cans were produced using thinner steel, and in 1858 the first can-opener patent was issued to Ezra Warner of Connecticut who devised an opener with a pointed blade and a guard to keep the blade from penetrating too far into the can. In 1868 J. Osterhoudt patented the keyed type of can opener used for sardine cans. It was not until 1870, however, and the efforts of William Lyman—also from Connecticut—that the "modern" version of the can opener came along.
Perhaps driven by an insatiable desire to taste the contents of a can without going through the cumbersome process of opening it, Lyman designed a user-friendly opener with a sharp rolling wheel that cut the rim of the can. This cutting wheel still forms the basis for can openers today. Lyman's invention was not without its problems however. The exact center of the can had to be pierced by one end of the opener, which then acted as the pivot for the cutting wheel—but this meant that it had to be adjusted for different sizes of can.
Lyman's design was improved and updated in 1925 when the Star Can Company of San Francisco produced a can opener that used two cutting wheels, the second one fitting below the rim of the can, which squeezed together with the top wheel to give a clean, steady, and smooth cut.
