Imagine a world where we had to share our cup with others in public, like, at office, theatre. This was exactly the thought of a man named Lawrence Luellen, a boston lawyer and inventor. In the beginning of 20th century, people drinking water from a fountain, barrel, or well, passed around a cup of metal, wood, or ceramic. Luellen, one among them, was bothered about the health hazards resulting from the usage of common cup by everyone.
In 1907, he invented a paper cup and Patented it (US 1032557 A) in 1908. He named it as “HEALTH KUP”, which resembled more like a paper bag that could be used and thrown away after usage, but he later changed the name to “DIXIE CUP” after five years. In 1918, when the Spanish flu swept in, many people were killed and everyone feared of germs, this was the time when the disposable cups were in use.