The Invention of the Pull-Tab......................and the guy wed all love to stomp

[cti4sw]

The Invention of the Pull-Tab......................and the guy we'd all love to stomp

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In 1959, Ermal Fraze devised a can-opening method that would come to dominate the canned beverage market. His invention was the "pull-tab". This eliminated the need for a separate opener tool by attaching an aluminium pull-ring lever with a rivet to a pre-scored wedge-shaped tab section of the can top. It was like having an opener tool built into every can. The ring was riveted to the center of the top, which created a wedge opening long enough so that one hole served to both let the beverage flow out while air flowed in. Into the 1970s, the pull-tab was widely popular, however its popularity came with a significant problem as people would frequently discard the pull-tabs on the ground as litter. One technique that avoided littering was to drop the pull-tab into the drink. The littering problem was also addressed by the invention of the "push-tab".

According to a biography site, Fraze died of a brain tumor in 1989. I think that was Mother Earth's way of saying "#$%^ YOU!"

Just an FYI for those who are curious you can read the rest of the Wikipedia article here.


EDIT: The first pull-tabs did not have rings; it was simply a wedge of aluminum scored into the top of the can held in place by a rivet. A solid aluminum flap connected to the rivet would remove the wedge with a zipping motion (why they were called "zip tops") and they were originally marketed by Iron City Brewery and Schlitz.

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The more common ring-top pull tabs we see today replaced zip-tops in 1965. Ring-tops used a ring (duh) to pull the tab away from the can, which could then be discarded. For the next decade, breweries experimented with many different opening concepts to eliminate the physical danger inherent in every zip-tab: the cuts on feet, fingers, and mouths.

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In 1975 the modern-day StaTab was designed by Daniel Cudzik and first featured by Falls City Brewery. Rather than remove the tab altogether, the StaTab pushed it into the can on a creasing hinge and the ring could be leveled with the top of the can or removed by itself.

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And of course, we have the modern-day pop-top used by every brewery and soda company toda:

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I figured knowing how to date these damn things could at least tell you pull-tab miners how old the field you're hunting is...

 

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[Jarl]

"Metal Detectorists...battling on the pull tab frontier since 1959".

 

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[TENNESSEEGAL]

Wow, I really don't think the OP wishes death on anyone. The whole post was written tongue in cheek. I for one got a kick out of the history behind our arch nemesis , The Pull Tab.

 

[oldsalty19]

very informative......thankx......

 

[GaRebel1861]

A hundred and fifty years from now, someone will be thrilled to have a collection of those.

 

[cti4sw]

So build a set, and your great-great-grandchildren will thank you... if someone in the middle doesn't throw it away first lol

 

[toddsumm1]

I'd like to meet the person who invented zinc canning jar lids.

 

[steelheadwill]

Hmm, something to consider for everyone...Ronald McDonald House Charities Pop Tab Fundraiser. Remember these? According to their website they(or their numerous chapters) raise $30,000 per year in pop tab collections. But they say the 'tabs' are preferred over the 'can' itself because it is more sanitary to store them. Hmmm, not sure my dirty root infested tabs are going to work for RMHC fundraiser. It was a thought at least. Always trying to see the good in everything.

Jarl, this rumor has been around for a long time, though RMHC will accept pulltabs, the money just comes from selling the scrap, I believe it better to toss some change in the donation box..
snopes.com: Pull Tab Redemption Rumor

 

[steelheadwill]

Who else remembers the short lived design with two 'Push in'
non removeable tabs from the '70s #3
The text below is incorrect, I recall many soda brands used the two hole design.

"the push-tab was a raised circular scored area used in place of the pull-tab. It needed no ring to pull up. Instead, the raised aluminium blister was pushed down into the can, with a small unscored piece that kept the tab connected after being pushed inside. Push-tabs never gained wide popularity because while they had solved the litter problem of the pull-tab, they created a safety hazard where the person's finger upon pushing the tab into the can was immediately exposed to the sharp edges of the opening. (An unusual feature of the push-tab Coors Beer cans was that they had a second smaller push-tab at the top as an airflow vent—a convenience that was lost with the switch from can opener to pull-tab.)

 

[milk86]

Why are we just picking on the Pull Tab---Lets not forget the other one......
Screw Caps

 

[duggap]

You mean you guys don't have an anti-pull tab devise on your machines. Due out next year is the anti-shot gun hull button.

 

[milk86]

Why are we just picking on the Pull Tab---Lets not forget the other one......
Screw Caps

I heard it was coming out from Minelab...LOL

 

[eagleforce]

Ha HA! Funny thread. I hate lookin at those damn things...gives me a head ache.

 

[cti4sw]

Jarl, this rumor has been around for a long time, though RMHC will accept pulltabs, the money just comes from selling the scrap, I believe it better to toss some change in the donation box..
snopes.com: Pull Tab Redemption Rumor

You'd think they'd prefer pennies then, for the copper scrap.

 

[seekandfind]

hey all, I met the man when he was alive, didnt md back then, very nice gentleman, also while we cuss him you can give thanks too because as I understand it he went on to improve the pull tab to the flip top tab on cans now. Of course the consumers still twist them off and throw them dpwn for us to find, oh for the good old days of the can/bottle opener lol. HH.

 

[SusanMN]

Before pulltabs, there were bottle caps , and if you ever hit an old park that hasn't been cleared of them you'll find then nearly stacked on top of one another and will either mask everything else if you try to discriminate them out.

 

[dig kzoo]

Lest we not beat the inventor, but the no talent A@@ bags who litter them..... Now Im all for beating the inventor of polyester!! HH

 

[jewelerguy]

i would rather find a pull tap than used rain coats at kiddy parks

I've found a couple of those at our kiddie park. my 4 year old nephew almost picked one up. ~bleh~

 

[jewelerguy]

I agree the problem lies with lazy un-caring people rather than the invention itself. many inventions pose a significant environmental hazard, and many of those being a far greater risk to man than the simple pulltab. I believe the problem of littering is greater in America than many other places because so many of us take our freedoms for granted. My wife and I once had an exchange student from Norway stay with us. She was amazed at the amount of litter she saw in our country, and told us that people simply did not do that in her country. She admitted that there was the occasional piece here or there, but nothing on the scale of what she saw here.

 

[bilt46]

Pulltabs can be Recycled....The Crown Cap has been more of a problem for me...The older caps will crumble, and sometimes they will null the area around them...What would the ground be like with Only Crown Caps littering the last 50 years...BillT.