1852: Francis Wolle invents and patents paper bag machine.
1869: Wolle and his brother and other paper bag makers found Union Paper Bag Machine Company.
1870: Margret Knight invents a device to cut, fold and paste paper bag bottoms
1871: Charles Annon files patent application similar to Knight's design
1871: Knight, filed a patent interference suit against Annan.and the court rules in her favor
1872: 132,890 (US) issued November 12, 1872 to Charles Annan for paper bag machine
1883: Charles Stilwell awarded patent for making Square-Bottom Paper Bag w/ pleated sides
1890: William Purvis awarded a patent for an improved paper bag machine
1891: Purvis sells patent license to Union Paper Bag Machine Co., now part of International Paper invention, history, inventor of, history of, who invented, invention of, fascinating facts.
1933: Industrial use of polyethylene is discovered and evolves into two forms, low and high density. The latter is used to make plastic bags.
1974: Retail giants Sears, Roebuck and Co. and J.C. Penney Co. switch to plastic bags.
1977: Grocery stores begin to use plastic bags as well as paper.
1982: Plastic bags make up 5 percent of the grocery bag market.
1984: Plastic bags make up 20 percent of the grocery bag market.
Mid-1980s: Concerns heat up about the impact of plastic and paper bags on the environment.
1989: Berkeley, Calif., bans the use of polystyrene, leading to the first recycling efforts across the country.
1990: Recycling of plastic bags begins at grocery stores.
1994: Denmark creates the first plastic bag tax.
1996: More than 80 percent of all bags used are plastic.
1999: The American Forest and Paper Association estimates the United States used 10 billion paper bags, requiring 14 million trees to be cut down.
2002: Ireland introduces the first consumer-paid plastic bag tax, PlasTax, which reduced consumption of plastic bags 90 percent the first year.
2002: Reusable cloth or canvas bags are introduced as an environmentally friendly alternative to paper and plastic.
2005: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide every year, 380 billion in the United States.
2007: In March, San Francisco becomes the first U.S. city to ban nonbiodegradable plastic bags from use in stores. In July, it is joined by Oakland, Calif. Also in July, California requires stores to provide consumers a place to recycle plastic bags.