Howe’s device, however, wasn’t particularly effective, and it wasn’t until 1893 that an improved version was patented by Whitcomb Judson. The first known reference to a zipper-like device was in a patent filed in 1851 by Elias Howe, best known as the inventor of the sewing machine. In 1913, Gideon Sundback, a Swedish engineer working for Judson’s company, devised a way to sew the teeth onto a strip of fabric. The teeth tended to come apart easily, and the device was difficult to use. While Judson’s design was an improvement on Howe’s, it still wasn’t perfect. Judson’s invention, called the “clasp locker”, featured interlocking teeth that could be drawn together or pulled apart with a simple sliding motion. Howe’s design, however, was not particularly effective, and it wasn’t until 1893 that an improved version was patented by Whitcomb Judson. The first known patent for a “clasp locker” was filed in 1851 by Elias Howe, best known as the inventor of the sewing machine. Other closures included laces, hooks, and eyes.īuttons and laces have been around for centuries, but it wasn’t until the late 1800s that the workable zipper was invented. Buttons were the most common closure, but they could be difficult to fasten and often came undone. What was before zippers?īefore the zipper was invented, people had to use other methods to close their clothing.
Inventors have been trying to create the workable zipper since the early 1800s, but it wasn’t until the early 1900s that the modern zipper we know and love was finally invented.
It’s hard to imagine a world without zippers, but they are actually a relatively recent invention. The zipper is one of those ubiquitous objects that we often take for granted.
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