The corkscrew originated in the early 1630s when it was used for an entirely different purpose to the wine opener it is today. Originally known as a gun worm, the device was used for removing unspent gun cartridges from the barrels of muskets. It is believed that the jump from guns to wine was made in England in 1681 and that the corkscrew was born out of a spontaneous moment of improvisation. Once its highly effective use as a wine opener was established, many different variations of the corkscrew began to be developed, all with the nobel aim of making it easier to have a glass of wine. The first patented corkscrew was designed in 1795 by an English Reverend, Samuell Henshall, and incorporated a small stop disk at the top of the screw to prevent it from burrowing too deeply into the cork.
Recent History graduate living in Newcastle. I like to travel and experience new things, my favourite place on earth has got to be the Great Barrier Reef. To date my greatest achievements include completing the National Pokedex and mastering how to make cheesy nachos.