John Spilsbury’s “Europe divided into its kingdoms, etc.” (1766)
Henshall corkscrew
CORKSCREW: It is unclear who actually invented the first corkscrew to open bottles and jugs of corked beer, wine, etc. In the 1676 publication Treatise on Cider by John Worlidge, there is a reference to a device with a “steel worm used for the drawing of Corks out of Bottles” but there are no drawings or surviving examples.
What is certain is that Reverend Samuell Henshall of England was the first to obtain a patent for the simple tool, in 1795. The clergyman’s design included a…
Source: Surprising Pre-Regency Era Inventions, a Guest Post from Sharon Lathan | Every Woman Dreams…
First Night History 