Canned sodas

[Stephen Tashiro]

As I recall early childhood, sodas in grocery stores were only sold in glass bottles and we certainly didn't get to drink soda every day. Later in life, I remember soda in pull-tab aluminium cans, but I don't recall any in-between era when soda was sold in steel cans or in any can that needed a "church key" to open. Was there such an era?

[Lee Schierer]

In the 1950's you needed a can opener to open pop and beer cans. Some were made of steel. 356425

As I recall Pepsi stayed with steel cans longer than some of the others. There were even cans that looked like bottles.356424

[Stan Calow]

It was a problem of corrosion. Soda is much more corrosive than beer, so it was easier to ship and store beer than soda. The top of the can is the most vulnerable, so they had to figure out how to make cans that would hold up longer.

[Andrew J. Coholic]

Pop cans here in Canada went to aluminum only back in the mid 1980s. I remember vividly, when one of my friends bought a can from the school vending machine, drank the soda and crushed the can against his head. We though he was superman until we realized that the cans had suddenly switched to aluminum.

Also, I used to have a hard time plinking the old steel cans with my first pellet rifle I got in my teenage years (earlier 80's)

I still have a steel Coke can in my shop, that I found up in the steel rafters when I bought my current building in 2010. It was built around 1980. So I know they still used steel here until later on in the 80's.

[Mike Cutler]

As a kid in the 60's I remember mostly glass bottles.
I worked in a supermarket in the 70's and by then it was mostly aluminum cans.
I remember beer in steel cans, but not soda

[Bruce Wrenn]

I remember a local grocery putting a BIG display of pop top sodas in window when they first came out. Around 3:30 PM, when the sun had been shining on them a couple hours, all heck broke out. Soda every where as they continued to self pop due to heat build up.

[Jim Koepke]

I remember steel cans for soda. There was even a trick to crush them between your hands. Slightly dent in the side around the can, then give it a twist as you press your hands together.

We would also stand on one and then poke the sides with our fingers to make the can suddenly collapse. If one is careful this can be done with an aluminum can.

A shift in weight can also collapse an aluminum can. Kind of fun to do with various sounds just before collapsing the can.

jtk

[Bill Jobe]

Wonder how many bare feet were cut by the first poptops?
Now there was a bad design.

[Stan Calow]

Wonder how many bare feet were cut by the first poptops?
Now there was a bad design.

At least Jimmy Buffett got a song out of that.