Impossible Bottles

Have you ever heard someone described as having the "patience of a saint"? This would be a perfect description of anyone who makes Impossible Bottles. In fact this type of mechanical puzzle was often referred to as a Patience Bottle. Impossible Bottles are glass bottles in which items have been inserted which are bigger then the neck of the bottle.

Originally Patience Bottles depicted religious scenes.There are examples of these dating from the late 16th century. Putting items in bottles became more popular in the early 19th century when glass technology allowed the manufacturing of clear glass on a large scale.

Of course, the most well known type of Impossible Bottle is the ship-in-a-bottle. These vessels in a vessel have been around for a long time. Sources vary, some say the earliest known ship-in-a-bottle was made by an Italian, Gioni Biondo in 1774, and others say Sweden in the 1780s.

As a craft, putting ships in bottles is still going strong. The Bottle Shipwright is the journal of the Ships-In-A-Bottle Association of America.

One of Harry's bottles

If there is a star of Impossible Bottles, it would be Harry Eng (1932-1996). Harry was an inventor, magician and school teacher. Using physics and patience he put all sorts of things in bottles from coins, decks of cards, to books and shoes. His specialty was tying large knots inside bottles. How did he do it? Harry took his secrets with him.

--Lynn Conaway