Corkscrew: A Battlefield InventionHow a weapon of war became a tool for celebration.

From the show

The Secret Life of Objects

The elegant tool you use to open wine has a surprisingly gritty origin. We trace the corkscrew's history from a 17th-century battlefield, where soldiers used a similar device to clear jammed muskets. This is a story of how a tool for war was adapted for peace, eventually making its way to your dinner table. The satisfying 'pop' of a wine bottle will never sound the same again.