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Cool Inventions Bring Cold Drinks - How ice cube trays, coolers and koozies were invented

Nothing churns up a raging thirst like a summer picnic. Between tossing horseshoes and Frisbee and chasing the dog around the park, a nice cold one on a hot day is a must.

Believe it or not, it's taken years of revolutionary technological advances to keep drinks cold. OK, perhaps that's a bit of a stretch, but it certainly took some clever inventors! As the weather heats up, we at InventHelp® would like to take this time to remind you just how the phrase "Ice Cold Drinks" came to be.

Obviously, there's a reason why we call them "ice cold drinks" - ice is the most common and enduring way to keep your drink refreshingly chilled. While no single person can be credited with inventing ice, there were a few innovative inventors who developed ways to help us better manage it!

The advent of the ever-popular ice cube tray came along in the early 20th century. Fred W. Wolf, Jr. invented a refrigerating machine called the DOMELRE (or DOMestic ELectric REfrigerator), which featured the first known ice cube tray. While Wolf's invention ultimately flopped, his creation did inspire others to include the ice cube trays in future models.

Fifteen years later, Guy L. Tinkham invented the first flexible, stainless steel ice tray. It cost 50 cents in 1933, and included the now-familiar division points to allow it to force the cubes up and out.

Now a household staple, ice cube trays have expanded into niche markets. Whatever the occasion - holiday, wedding, anniversary - someone's invented an ice cube tray that suits the occasion. There are even fun everyday styles like apples, seashells and cartoon characters that turn a boring ice cube into a floating work of art.

While ice undeniably works great, there's just one little problem with it: it melts. And how do we keep ice frozen on the go? Coolers, of course!

The cooler was invented in Australia, where it is sometimes called an "esky". Coolers are produced from exterior and interior shells of plastic with hard foam in between, creating insulation. Then, ice or ice packs are usually put on top of the items to be cooled.

One of the best inventions to hit coolers in the past few years is the drain spout, which allows the melted ice to be released easily. If you are among the many of us who have dumped a cooler's contents on the ground while trying to drain water, you know this is a welcome innovation!

Other inventive advances in the cooler market include wheeled coolers, small personal coolers, and disposable foam coolers. Some modern coolers are thermoelectric, plugging into a car's cigarette lighter. Oddly enough, these "coolers" can also be adjusted to keep food warm!

So, we've figured out how to make our drinks cold, and how to keep them cold while we travel. The final dilemma - how to keep a drink cold while it's wedged in our warm little hands - also has an inventive solution.

The Beer Koozie, a neoprene sleeve designed to fit a bottle or can, keeps your beverage of choice chilled to perfection. Since its development in the 1980s, the beer koozie has come in every color and style you can imagine. From engraved koozies to sports team koozies and everything in between, it's easy to find the perfect koozie to suit any individual.

We at InventHelp® always marvel at the creativity of thirsty folks. While ice cube trays and beer koozies may not move mountains, they do make a much-needed drink all the more enjoyable. And, we always admire uncomplicated inventions that improve the quality of life.

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