Tin Can Day - January 19

A tin can is a box in which food is stored in an airtight manner without contaminating microenzymes.

We all sometimes buy cans of pickles, olives, tuna or beans and store them in the pantry for hours when needed. Canned food can hold for a long time and is therefore also considered an "emergency" food.

Who Invented the Tin Can?

The canned food preservation process is thought to have been created by the Frenchman Philippe de Girard, and the idea was passed on to the British merchant Peter Durand who served as an agent to register Girard's idea as a patent in 1810.

Girard's idea of ​​preservation was based on an attempt to preserve food in glass containers the year before, by the French confectioner Nicolas Francois Aper, for Napoleon's army.

In 1812 Durand sold his patent to two Englishmen, Brian Donkin and John Hall, who processed the process and product, and set up the world's first commercial cannery in Southark Park, London. In 1813 they produced cans for the British Royal Navy. In 1820, the cans were used for gunpowder, seeds, and turpentine.

The early cans were sealed by soldering with a lead alloy and tin, which could have led to lead poisoning. In 1845, Sir John Franklin's expedition from Britain to the North Pole suffered from severe lead poisoning and was thought to be the result of eating canned food. A more recent study found that the lead poisoning was actually caused by the water pipes on the expedition's ships.

The early cans were sealed by soldering with a lead alloy and tin, which could have led to lead poisoning.

The cans are made of non-perishable metal and therefore cause ecological damage to the earth. It is recommended to recycle them and not throw them in the trash.

In honor of Tin Can Day, you can make creations from cans such as beautiful flower pots, flower vases, tools for storing stationery, a savings account, wind chimes, a bride and groom's car decoration and more.

Lids for closing cans (Source: Amazon) 

January 19th is also Popcorn Day