1681: The corkscrew is first mentioned. At the time it was called a steel worm and was probably originally designed by gunsmiths who used similar tools to clean rifles.

1795: British priest Samuel Henshall patented the first corkscrew, a metal worm with a wooden handle and a cap that controlled the depth of the screw.

1882: Carl Wienke of Germany invents the sommelier knife - a single-lever bottle opener with a knife that can cut open bottle seals.

1888: British James Healy invented the A1 Double Lever, which featured a pair of retractable arms.

1920: French Marie Jules Leon Bart invents the "Zig-Zag" corkscrew, which is characterized by its outward appearance resembling an accordion.

1976: Screw stoppers are used in Australian wines.

1979: Houston-based engineer Herbert Allen invented the rabbit-shaped corkscrew "Screwpull", a great advance in corkscrew technology. This corkscrew comes with a teflon-covered screw that makes it easier for the screw to enter or exit the cork.

1990: Winemakers started using synthetic stoppers instead of corks to prevent cork contamination.

1992: Sandor Bocsi and George Spector patent an electric corkscrew.

2000: The Metrokane Rabbit is officially launched.

2013: Medical device inventor Greg Lambrecht released the “Coravin” wine extractor — a tiny, hollow needle that pulls wine out of a bottle without removing the cork.