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Old 06-10-2011, 02:41 PM   #629
infinite monkey
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Join Date: Mar 2011
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churchkey

Quote:
A churchkey initially referred to a simple hand-operated device for prying the cap (called a "crown cork") off a glass bottle; this kind of closure was invented in 1898.[1] The shape and design of some of these openers did resemble a large simple key.[2]

In 1935, beer cans with flat tops were marketed, and a device to puncture the lids was needed. The same term, "church key", came to be used for this new invention: made from a single piece of pressed metal, with a pointed end used for piercing cans — devised by D.F. Sampson[3][4] for the American Can Company, who depicted operating instructions on the cans themselves,[5] and typically gave away free "quick and easy" openers with their newfangled beer cans.[6]
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