Tin cans were around long before the first can opener was patented. The origin of the tin can is usually attributed to Peter Durand in 1810, with the first canning plant opened in England in 1813. There also is some evidence of heavy metal cans were in common use in the Dutch Navy during the 1770s. In any event, the can opener did not make an appearance until the 1850s. Some sources identify Englishman Robert Yeates as having patented the can opener in 1855. The first can opener patent in the United States was issued to Ezra Warner in 1858.

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