Can Central Home Page Is it the love of a good beer, the fascination with brewery, or the original and eclectic art work adorning rare beer cans that makes them hot collector's items? The future points to new and exciting developments in can technology and manufacturing. The aluminum can was easily integrated into the package market because of its ductility (ability to be molded), its support of carbonated pressure, its lighter weight and its resistance to corrosion (aluminum does not rust). An advertising campaign for carbonated beverages advised consumers in 1956 to By the time of the great world wars, cans were an integral part of American life. THE CAN INDUSTRY WAS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY in this era in order to take advantage of the burgeoning market. ONCE AGAIN THE DESIRE FOR EXPANSION AND WEALTH, and the necessities of war, broadened the popularity of the can. THE GREAT INTERNATIONAL SEARCH FOR NEW TERRITORY further propelled the use and notoriety of the can. Likewise, the advantages of well preserved canned food enabled bolder expeditions. The can's distinguished history began in 1795 when the French government offered a prize of 12,000 francs to anyone who could invent a method of preserving food. THE HISTORY OF THE CAN IS LITERALLY A HISTORY of western civilization, and its innovation an engine of prosperity in the United States.