Simple in appearance and function, the cup holder is something that most of us could hardly do without. It has become a modern necessity that few recognize, even though they use it daily.

We drink to live. Our bodies require water for sustenance. Not only is water necessary for our lives, but drinking certain beverages has also become routine or trendy. Many cannot go without their morning coffee and perhaps at your work office it is popular to drink lattes. Whatever the case, drinking is a part of our daily lives.

Perhaps James Guillow realized this when he invented the cup holder in’43. Sadly, the potential of his invention was not realized until many years later.

When drive-in and drive-through restaurants became popular in the’60′s, cup holders began to be sold. They were then in developmental form and were often just little wedges that clipped onto the car door window or would fit in the center console.

Built in cup holders in automobiles later became increasingly more common. As families began to travel more and the minivan came onto the scene, they became more common. The auto industry also had to work hard to keep up with the beverage industry as they began experimenting with different size cups and bottles. They lived up to the challenge, soon inventing the expandable and retractable cup holder.

The one major event that has led to an increase in cup holders occurred when a seventy-nine year old woman in Albuquerque, New Mexico spilled ordered hot coffee from a McDonalds fast food restaurant. The scalding coffee was spilled on the poor woman’s lap, leaving her seriously scalded. The woman first merely asked McDonalds to pay her doctor bill, pay her cleaning bill, and apologize. When McDonalds refused to do so, they found themselves in a lawsuit where they were forced to pay millions. So sadly for its history, the cup holder seems to actually have been born out of lawsuits more than anything!

Every year in the United States there are at least six million car accidents, a large portion of which occur because of minor distractions in the car. One of those distractions could be holding a drink while driving. Safety while on the roads is of great importance to all who drive. Using a cup holder could potentially save a life.

A cup holder is important for its function, but the location and placement of it in a vehicle is also of extreme importance. You need a cup holder to be within reach, yet not in he way. If you are driving a stick shift, this can be even more important.

Cup holders have also become of great importance to those with children. Parents need cup holders to keep their hands free to take care of little ones. With many children who are not capable of holding their drinks efficiently without spilling them, cup holders are a necessity. Parents only have so many hands! In modern times, cup holders have been integrated into baby strollers and car seats, making them functional even for the baby bottle.

Now cup holders are such a modern convenience that they would be greatly missed were they to suddenly start disappearing. For not only have we begun to use them for their primary purpose, but they have suddenly become coin holders, phone holders, and a good place to set any small items you need easy access to without the worry of them flying across the floor! So yes, cup holders have become a necessity for most Americans’ daily lives.

There are plenty of motivations why you should get yourself a cup holder. Take a look at http://www.oh-4.com/cupholder.php why you will not be able to resist this drink holder.