People are only just learning the purpose of the hole on fizzy drink cans

What with everything going on in the world, you might be surprised by how easily you find yourself wondering about the most inane things.

Sure, international upheaval, the climate crisis, and the average price of a UK pint hitting £5.44 are all worthy of keeping you up at night, but what about the real issues?

What about the ring pull on a can of fizzy pop?

What about the hole in the ring pull?

What’s going on there?

A quietly ingenious design (SEAN GLADWELL/Getty Images)

Well, fret not. We might not have any solutions to offer for the other aforementioned stressors in our collective existence, but we can sort you out with some ring pull trivia.

You may have heard that it’s a handy, if overly-specific aid for holding a straw in place. Simply spin the ring pull over the opened can hole, slot your straw in, and you’re golden.

But alas, there’s an even better use for the ring pull hole than that.

Before we reveal the truth of the matter, let’s take a look at the fizzy drink cans of yesteryear.

Back in the 1970s, drinks cans had a different setup.

Rather than the ring pull we know, love, and tear off for no reason in particular, the ring pulls of old used to tear off entirely.

Rather than puncture the can with the ring pull, you used it to rip a hole in the can.

In order to do that ripping, you needed some grip: enter, the ring pull hole.

If you’re wondering why the design changed, it’s because those tear-style ring pulls ended up being a litter problem. They were sharp too, posing a health hazard should people inadvertently step on them.

Per The Journal of the American Medical Association, seven children were treated over a three-year span for ‘complications of ingestion or aspiration of pull tabs from aluminium beverage cans’.

To reduce these risks, a man by the name of Daniel F. Cudzik invented the modern ring pull design, sparing us some litter, some cut feet, and the likelihood of an intrepid child giving metal-swallowing a go.

“It's good when big companies still want to keep some features as memories instead of changing them entirely,” said one YouTube commenter who’s particularly generous with their praise.

“One company's relic is another man’s straw holder,” said another who’s committed to the not-exactly-useful straw holder idea.

Well, at any rate, that’s one head-scratcher you can tick off the list.

Topics: Drinks