John Landis Mason

From the 1830s, the development of glass jars made canning a practical alternative to drying, pickling, or smoking to preserve food.

Unfortunately, the mouth of the jar was unthreaded, across which a round, flat tin lid was laid and sealed with wax.

The canning procedure was messy, unreliable, and unsafe – if the wax was not applied properly, it allowed bacteria to thrive in the jar.

Mason's innovation was a square-shouldered jar with threaded screw-top, matching lid, and rubber ring for an airtight seal.

[2] United States patent 22,186, dated November 30, 1858, is primarily on the use of exterior threads in the jar and a corresponding metal cap.