History of Glass

Mother Nature was the first to make glass in the form of volcanic rock known as obsidian. When early man discovered this material – along with other naturally formed glass such as rock crystal, agate and onyx – he used it to form arrowheads, knives and other primitive tools. The first man-molded glass probably appeared around 7,000 B.C. in the form of beaded jewelry. And it wasn't until about 1,500 B.C. that the first glass containers were produced.

Thousands of years later in 1608, English settlers arriving in Jamestown, Virginia, built a glass melting furnace and America's first industry was born. By 1880 more than twenty-five percent of the glass made in America was used for common bottles. Through the end of the century, glass remained something of a luxury with the manufacturing process much the same as it was hundreds of years before.

All that changed in 1903 with the invention of the Owens Automatic Bottle Machine – making it possible to mass produce bottles and jars of uniform height, weight and capacity. High speed filling and packing lines soon followed and glass containers entered the modern age.

Today, glass is still the preferred package for many products. Food and beverage product managers turn to glass to create a premium image and to differentiate their products on crowded store shelves.

In 1905, the first automated bottle machine was invented, allowing for mass produced bottles and jars. Today, the majority of all glass container manufacturing takes place in large, automated factories where computers regulate much of the activity.

As you can see, glass containers have been around for a very long time and with good reason. Glass is chemically inert and protects the products inside -- preserving freshness and taste. Glass is also transparent, so unless it has been tinted a very dark color, we can see what's inside, glass allows for long shelf-life. Glass also conveys a premium product image.