United States
Beer is first sold in cans
Flat-topped steel cans requiring a separate opener went on sale in Richmond, Virginia; aluminium and the integrated tab came much later.
Cans took decades to be taken seriously for good beer, and are now understood to be the best mainstream package for it — opaque, low-oxygen, light and unbreakable.
What was going on around it
An event on its own is a date. These are the periods it belongs to, where the argument about what changed is actually made.
Why it matters
The introduction of what is now the best-protecting beer package, initially dismissed as a downgrade.
How well this is established
| Certainty | Documented. Supported by contemporary records that survive and are agreed on. |
|---|---|
| When | 1935-01-24. |
| Where | United States |
Either side of this
← 1933: The American three-tier system is created · 1950: Lambic declines, then is deliberately preserved →
See the whole sequence on the beer history timeline.
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.