Zipper and Velcro History

Years ago we made fun of the Russians- they were claiming credit for every conceivable invention known by man. Is that what is going on here? For instance, the zipper and the product Velcro. These are the only two listed that I checked but I must say it does not augur well for Canada.


The Full Story

The Zipper

"The zipper was patented on August 29, 1893 by Whitcomb Judson, a Chicago mechanical engineer.

"One big problem - it didn't work. Not only did it not work, but no one wanted it, either. Judson displayed it at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair to a potential audience of 20 million people.

"How many did he sell? Twenty. Not enough to retire on. All to the U. S. Postal Service to close their mailbags.

"In 1913, a new guy, Gideon Sundback, produced a better model - the modern zipper (its only drawback was that it rusted closed after washing). His first order went to the U. S. Army for clothing and equipment (after all, WWI was going on).

"It may seem obvious to us today, but people couldn't figure out how to use the zipper. It actually came with directions. (Something like - make sure your private parts are not hanging out and pull up?) Still, no one wanted them.

"Along comes the savior - B. F. Goodrich himself. In 1923, good old B.F. (as those of us close to him called him) ordered 150,000 of them for his new product - rubber galoshes.

"Until this point, they were called hookless fasteners. B. F. liked the z-z-zip sound they made and coined the term zipper. "

Velcro

"In 1948, a Swiss mountaineer named George de Mestral was walking through the woods and was very frustrated by the burs that clung to his clothes. While picking them off, he realized that it may be possible to use this principle to make a fastener to compete with the zipper.

"Everyone laughed at him, except for a weaver at a textile plant in France. Together, they designed what they called "locking tape". It was made from cotton.

"The biggest problem that they faced was mass producing it. Sophisticated equipment was needed. He searched for a solution. Accidently, de Mestral discovered that nylon, when sewn under infrared light, formed indestructible hooks, and the design was finished.

"Next problem - the name. Somehow 'hookless fastener' or 'locking tape' did not seem right. If I were there, I would have suggested a name like 'man made bur tape that sticks to the other side and fastens things together' - a much catchier name.

"He liked the sound of "vel" from velvet and "cro" from the French word crochet (meaning hook). And the name Velcro® stuck, just like those annoying burs. (their legal department wants you to know that Velcro is a trademarked name of Velcro USA and not a generic name - in other words, they don't make the imitation hook and loop fasteners - they make the original, high quality stuff)"