Zipper History Information

In 1893, 21 million people flocked to Chicago to behold the wonders displayed at the World's Fair. Among the many wonderful objects displayed, there was a device called a "clasp-locker." An engineer named Whitcomb Judson had recently patented this item and intended it to replace the hook and eye shoelaces so prevalent in the late 19th century. The "clasp-locker" device resembled two small chains of alternating hook and eye locks. A metal sliding implement joined the two chains, which then closed the shoe flaps to which they were attached. Whitcomb Judson's idea was practical but pale in comparison to the other inventions at the fair. Few people came to gawk at Judson's invention.

Fifteen years later, another engineer, Gideon Sundback, modified Judson's idea. He manufactured a smaller, lighter version of the "clasp-locker." Renamed "hookless fastener," this device could be attached not only to boots, but also to clothing and purses.

The B. F. Goodrich Company, in 1923, presented to the public a rubber overboot equipped with a "hookless fastener," only on this new footwear it was called a "zipper." The story goes that Mr. B. F. Goodrich himself invented the word zipper in imitation of its sound. It appears, however, that the onomatopoeic term "zip" had been lurking in the English language since at least 1850, but the B. F. Goodrich product made it a household word.

First Patent of the Zipper

Zipper Patent

Wow, wasn't that exciting. Let's go back to the Zipper page so we can buy some zippers.

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