In weather so unpredictable you can experience three seasons in a single day (sweltering heat, torrential rain, and a sudden cold snap), a vacuum-insulated tumbler is one of life’s reliable comforts.
From the outside, making one seems straightforward enough: no exotic materials, no circuitry. Yet this deceptively simple invention only came into existence in 1892, when Scottish scientist Sir James Dewar developed it. Because he never filed a patent, two German entrepreneurs – Reinhold Burger and Albert Aschenbrenner – commercialized the design under the name Thermos, a brand most of us still recognize today. The company turned profitable almost immediately and grew into the dominant vacuum-flask manufacturer it remains.
Dewar himself never saw a penny from it. His original vessel – double-walled with open-topped, designed for laboratory use – differed just enough from the patented commercial version, which added a protective outer casing for everyday durability, that he had no legal claim.
Then Stanley entered the picture, swapping glass for stainless steel and transforming the humble thermos into an essential companion for travelers and outdoor adventurers who needed something tougher still.
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