Glass milk bottles invented

April, 8, 1879: The invention of glass milk bottles changed the dairy delivery scene. In 1878, the first glass milk bottle was patented. It was called the Lester Milk Jar. Milk was sold in glass bottles for the first time a year later, in 1879.Until that time, people bought milk as a bulk item, with the seller dispensing milk out of a keg or bucket into whatever jugs, pails or other containers the customers brought. That practice left a lot to be desired on the cleanliness front. Some dairies tried offering milk in fruit jars, perhaps because customers had started bringing the resealable containers to them to be filled.

The new method of delivery eventually caught on. By the first decade of the 20th century, some cities were legally requiring that milk be delivered in glass bottles. Echo Farms Dairy introduced the first purpose-made milk bottles in New York City, delivering the milk from Litchfield, Connecticut. Other dealers initially feared the expense of breakage, and some customers didn't like the drugstore look of the containers.