On This Day
·

First wax drinking straw is patented by Marvin C. Stone in Washington, D.C.

A drinking straw is a utensil that uses suction to carry the contents of a beverage to one's mouth. A straw is used by placing one end in the mouth and the other in a beverage.

A drinking straw is a utensil that uses suction to carry the contents of a beverage to one's mouth. A straw is used by placing one end in the mouth and the other in a beverage. Lowering the pressure in the mouth (i.e. applying suction) causes the surrounding atmospheric pressure to force the liquid through the straw and into the mouth. Drinking straws can be straight or have an angle-adjustable bellows segment.

Disposable straws are commonly made from plastics. However, environmental concerns related to plastic pollution and new regulation have led to rise in reusable and biodegradable straws. Following a rise in regulation and public concern, some companies have voluntarily banned or reduced the number of plastic straws used.

Historical Significance

A drinking straw is a utensil that uses suction to carry the contents of a beverage to one's mouth.

Events Before

  1. Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Otello" premieres at La Scala Teatro in Milan, Italy, Verdi's first new opera for over 15 years

    Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Otello" premieres at La Scala Teatro in Milan, Italy, Verdi's first new opera for over 15 years

  2. Anne Sullivan begins teaching 6-year-old blind-deaf Helen Keller

    Anne Sullivan begins teaching 6-year-old blind-deaf Helen Keller

  3. Business magnate Andrew Carnegie (51) weds Louise Whitfield (30) in NYC, New York

    Business magnate Andrew Carnegie (51) weds Louise Whitfield (30) in NYC, New York

  4. "Europe's first motoring competition" is 'won' by The Marquis de Dion on a steam-powered quadricycle built by French toy

    "Europe's first motoring competition" is 'won' by The Marquis de Dion on a steam-powered quadricycle built by French toymaker and engineer Georges Bouton; French newspaper Le Velocipede organized the 'test', and Bouton was the only participant

  5. Yellow River or Huáng Hé floods in China, killing between 900,000 and 2 million people, one of the deadliest natural dis

    Yellow River or Huáng Hé floods in China, killing between 900,000 and 2 million people, one of the deadliest natural disasters in history

Events After

  1. Archduke Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, is found dead with his mistress Baroness Ma

    Archduke Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian crown, is found dead with his mistress Baroness Mary Vetsera in Mayerling in an apparent suicide pact

  2. Eiffel Tower officially opens for dignitaries and an award ceremony in Paris, France; designed by Gustave Eiffel and bui

    Eiffel Tower officially opens for dignitaries and an award ceremony in Paris, France; designed by Gustave Eiffel and built for the Exposition Universelle, at 300 meters high, it holds the record for the tallest man-made structure for 41 years

  3. George Eastman begins selling Kodak flexible roll film for the first time

    George Eastman begins selling Kodak flexible roll film for the first time

  4. Exposition Universelle (World's Fair) in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance ar

    Exposition Universelle (World's Fair) in Paris opens with the recently completed Eiffel Tower serving as the entrance arch; the lifts in the tower are not ready, so intrepid visitors have to climb 1,710 steps to reach the top

  5. Polish pianist, and politician Ignacy Jan Paderewski (38) weds Polish baroness, social activist, and humanitaran Helena

    Polish pianist, and politician Ignacy Jan Paderewski (38) weds Polish baroness, social activist, and humanitaran Helena Maria von Rosen (32) in Warsaw, Russian Empire, until her death in 1934

More from the 1880s

The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., to promote "the increase and diffusion of geographic kno

The National Geographic Society is founded in Washington, D.C., to promote "the increase and diffusion of geographic knowledge" [1]

The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jers

The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey

American painter Thomas Eakins (40) weds American painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony in

American painter Thomas Eakins (40) weds American painter and photographer Susan Macdowell (32) in a Quaker ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until his death in 1916

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass marries his second wife suffragist Helen Pitts

Abolitionist Frederick Douglass marries his second wife suffragist Helen Pitts

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on January 3, 1888?
A drinking straw is a utensil that uses suction to carry the contents of a beverage to one's mouth. A straw is used by placing one end in the mouth and the other in a beverage. Lowering the pressure in the mouth (i.e.
Why is First wax drinking straw is patented by Marvin C. Stone in Washington, D.C. significant?
A drinking straw is a utensil that uses suction to carry the contents of a beverage to one's mouth.

Explore More

January 3 in HistoryYear 1888