The Inventor Of The Drinking Straw

The drinking straw was invented by the American Marvin Stone in 1888. In the 19th century, Americans enjoyed drinking chilled, lightly flavored alcoholic beverages; to prevent the heat of their breath from diminishing the drink's chill, they avoided sipping directly from the glass and instead used hollow natural wheat stalks. However, natural wheat stalks broke easily and imparted an unpleasant taste to the drink. Marvin Stone, a cigarette manufacturer, drew inspiration from the construction of cigarettes to create a paper straw. Upon testing, it proved durable and free of off-flavors. People soon began using these paper straws not only for alcoholic drinks but for other chilled beverages as well. Later, with the invention of plastic-which offered superior flexibility and aesthetics-paper straws were replaced by colorful plastic ones. The inventor never applied for a patent.