William Painter Patents the Crown Cork

On February 2, 1892, Baltimore inventor William Painter received U.S. patents for the bottle-sealing system that became known as the crown cork. Its final design used a thin cork disk beneath a metal cap whose corrugated edge was crimped under a projecting lip on the bottle neck, creating a tight seal capable of retaining carbonation. The crown cork was inexpensive, reliable, and intended for one-time use. Together with standardized bottle finishes and machinery for applying and removing the caps, it made the large-scale packaging of bottled beer faster and more practical. The basic form became one of the most widely used beer-bottle closures in the world, although modern versions generally replaced the original cork liner with synthetic material.