Who Invented Bottle Caps?

Inventor William Painter first designed the bottle cap in Baltimore during the late 1800s as a way to prevent leaks. Originally called the "crown cork" cap, the bottle cap was also known as the "crown cap" or "crown."

William Painter was born on November 20, 1838, in Triadelphia, Maryland, three years after commercial production of soda water began. He died on July 15, 1906.

Painter invented the world's first bottle cap in 1891. It was constructed with a corrugated metal cap, a thin disk of cork, and a paper backing. This was an economical design that made the cap leakproof. This cap was meant to be used only once and required a bottle cap opener to pop it off. To make the bottle cap work even better, Painter worked alongside bottling manufacturers to develop a bottle to go with the cap. He also patented the machinery necessary to manufacture the bottle cap. In 1892, Painter patented the bottle cap design (US patent number 468,258), and started the Bottle Seal Company, which was later renamed the Crown Cork and Seal Company. Today, the company's official name is Crown Holdings. The screw-on cap was invented in 1856. Until 1915, beer bottles generally had a wire-attached mechanical cap. An increase in glass bottle production during the early 20th century increased the demand and usage of bottle caps. By nearly 20 years later, most beer and soft drink bottles had bottle caps.

The bottle cap's materials have changed over the years as resources changed. Plastic replaced the cork and paper, the cap's skirt was shortened, and the teeth on the skirt were lessened from 24 to 21.

Manufacturers sometimes use plastic and aluminum "pilfer-proof" (or PP) caps instead of crown caps, although many beer bottles still have crown bottle caps. William Painter didn't stop at inventing the bottle cap. During his lifetime, he earned 85 patents.

Crown caps today are collectible, appreciated by societies such as The Crowncap Collectors Society International. Crown cap trade events also exist, such as the annual KKF Tauschtreffen in Germany and Crownvention in the US. Because bottle caps are used so widely, bottle cap openers themselves are now an industry. Some companies even offer laser-engraved, personalized bottle openers.