Historians do not know when the idea of a straw was first invented, though it is believed to be very old. The first known straws were made by the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia, used for drinking beer, probably to avoid the solid byproducts of fermentation that sink to the bottom.
The modern drinking straw was actually patented on 3 December 1888 by Marvin Chester Stone who was employed at a paper cigarette holder factory in Washington DC. He used a fine piece of paper from the cigarette holder factory, rolled it around a pencil then coated it in wax to prevent it becoming waterlogged.