Vintage Kitchen Gadget Leaves Internet Users Wondering About Its Purpose

Opening them without a specialized tool often required brute force. People used knives, chisels, hammers, or even bayonets to pierce the metal lids, making the process cumbersome, time-consuming, and dangerous.

Ezra Warner’s Lever-Type Can Opener (1858)
The first dedicated can opener was invented in 1858 by American Ezra Warner. Warner’s design was a lever-style opener intended primarily for military use during the Civil War. It featured a sharp, curved blade for piercing the lid and a lever to pry the top open.

While effective for its intended purpose, it was not particularly user-friendly for civilians, requiring both strength and dexterity.

Its design was so robust that it was occasionally compared to small weapons, a comparison not entirely unwarranted given its construction and potential to cause injury if mishandled.