It wasn't until the mid-1950s that the first all-aluminum beverage can was introduced, with the Adolph Coors Company pioneering the development. Aluminum was found to be lighter, cheaper, and more amenable to printing than the tin-plated steel cans. It was also around this time that the pull-tab was invented, making it much easier to open the cans without the need for a separate device.

The evolution of soda cans didn't stop there. In 1975, the stay-on-tab, now universally used, was introduced by the Falls City Brewing Company. This development was a crucial move towards environmental conservation as the previous removable pull-tabs were often littered, posing a danger to wildlife.

Today's soda can, made of a thin sheet of aluminum that is rolled into a cylindrical shape and then sealed, is both strong and lightweight, making it perfect for storing carbonated beverages. With billions of soda cans produced each year, they play a vital role in our economy and our daily lives. The can has certainly come a long way since its early days of iron and tinplate.

The soda can is one of the most ubiquitous items in the world today, though its history isn't particularly long. Cans were first used for food storage in 1810, but these early versions were bulky, heavy, and made from tinplate, a form of tinned iron. The application of this technology to store carbonated beverages, however, would take over a century to come to fruition.

The key developments started in the 1930s. The first beer was canned in 1935 by the Krueger Brewing Company, marking the debut of canned beverages. These early cans were still made of steel, and they were flat-topped, requiring a can opener to access the beverage.