Cans - A Visual History

The Impact of the Can on Culture and Economics for more than 200 Years

THE HISTORY OF THE CAN IS LITERALLY A HISTORY of western civilization, and its innovation an engine of prosperity in the United States. Two centuries ago, the first cans were designed to sustain world powers in their quests around the globe. In boomtown America, the can was key to big business and broader frontiers. Today, can making is a major economic force; the more than 130 billion cans Americans use each year have created an eight billion dollar industry, with 200 manufacturing plants in 38 states, that employ more than 35 thousand employees...  Read more.