The modern drinking straw was invented and patented by American inventor Marvin C. Stone in 1888, when he created a paper straw to replace unpleasant rye grass straws.

Quick Scoop

  • The earliest known straws go back to ancient Sumer around 3000 BCE, where metal tubes were used to drink beer and avoid sediment.
  • In the 1800s, people commonly used natural rye grass as disposable straws, but these added a grassy taste and could disintegrate in drinks.
  • Marvin C. Stone, annoyed by this while drinking a mint julep in Washington, D.C., wrapped paper around a pencil, then refined it into a wax‑coated manila paper straw and patented it in 1888; this is considered the first modern drinking straw.
  • Later, Joseph Friedman invented the flexible “bendy” straw in the 1930s–40s, adding the familiar accordion section so it could bend toward the drinker.

In everyday usage, when people ask “who invented the straw,” they usually mean the modern commercial drinking straw, and that credit goes to Marvin C. Stone.