Inventor: Elias Howe
Perfector: Gideon Sundbach
Purpose: Easier to close clothing
Invention called:
Automatic Continuous
Separable Fastener (1914)
Zipper (1920s)
In the 19th century people were use to lacing and buttoning up their clothing. Many buttons was time consuming to button and unbutton. Elias Howe decided to come up with an easier way to close clothing thus creating (what he called) the automatic continuous clothing closure.
In a video of Modern Marvels, the History Channel explains how the invention worked. "It closed fabric with a series of small clasps that joined when a string was pulled." Though Howe's invention worked, it was not a success due to it jamming often. He did, however, show his device at the World's Fair in Chicago of 1893.
Just 21 years after the World's Fair in 1914, the "zipper" was improved by Gideon Sunhbach (photo top right) a Swedish engineer. He doubled the number of teeth in each row (according to history.com) which perfected the invention. Gideon called it the separable fastener. Not long after Gideon added to the "zipper" it was adopted into the U.S. army in World War I. By the 1920s the zipper could be found on coats, bags and in the 1930s in fashion.
The word "zipper" came from the B.F. Goodrich company whom invented the name to sell their new product of a shoe with a zipper. Today the zipper is found on wet suits, bags and many fabrics of clothing.
Photo from: https://www.google.com/search?q=zipper+history&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=9IUlUeu7J-Ks2wWIl4C4BA&sqi=2&ved=0CF8QsAQ&biw=1366&bih=640#hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=zipper+invented+history&oq=zipper+invented+history&gs_l=img.3...44374.45674.8.45933.8.8.0.0.0.0.62.416.8.8.0...0.0...1c.1.4.img.ecTQgy0kJuo&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.42661473,d.b2I&fp=b86255da6108f4d1&biw=1366&bih=640&imgrc=-SgR6FBa_8RGXM%3A%3B5nyHcCImH09dZM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.fashionchoice.org%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2012%252F04%252Fzipper-gideon-sundback-img-1-540x404.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.fashionchoice.org%252Fthe-bit-of-zipper-history%252Fzipper-gideon-sundback-img-1%252F%3B540%3B404
Info from: http://www.history.com/videos/modern-marvels-gadgets---zippers#modern-marvels-gadgets---zippers
The zipper is a handy contraption, sometimes hard to replace in garment if you are sewing challenged. I always had trouble with them in ski suits, when they get plastered with snow and ice, but I love them in my scuba dive suit. Never tried them on shoes.
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