If you visited google today, you wouldn't have missed the interactive zipper doodle celebrating the inventor of the modern zipper.
The invention of a modern zipper is 100 years old. Credited to Gideon Sundback, the modern zipper did not fall from the skies. The first one to think of an easy way to fasten garments and ladies' boots was Elias Howe, Jr way back in 1851. He was awarded a patent for his invention which promised to save people from the hassle of buttons, hooks and eyelets. Howe predicted his new invention would ease fastening garments and never fail.
Fail it did and also numerous inventions after it did not measure up to the actual real-world usage (and abuse). That's when Gideon, an electrical engineer, steps in.
Before we go on to our hero, we need to look at the Automatic Hook and Eye Company and its founders. We g back to Whicombe L Judson, a mechanical engineer who started working on a easy fasterner for shoes so that he needn't bend to fasten the lace, ended up inventing the precursor to the modern zipper. Judson not only invented and improved upon the zipper but worked on a machine to produce the chain-and-hook assembly that made the zipper. He founded Automatic Hook adn Eye company with two of his friends.
Gideon joined Judson as his key design engineer. His primary job was to keep improving on Judson's invention and make the design robust. Judson's line did not last for long failing to hold-up against the bustling lifestyle of city dwellers. This forced Gideon to think harder on making the zipper robust. He filed his own patent in 1912 and another radical one in 1914. Gideon also invented a new manufacturing machine which reduced wastage and could produce the new age zipper.
The zipper is one product which has gone through the most amount of innovations.
Here is the link to Google's compilation on Gideon Sundback. The picture to the left (from Wikipedia Commons) depicts the drawing of the modern zipper filed for a patent by its inventor Gideon Sundback in 1914
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