A safety razor is a shaving implement with a guard positioned between the cutting edge of the blade and the skin, reducing the skill needed to shave without cutting oneself. Guarded razors existed from at least the 18th century, with the French cutler Jean-Jacques Perret devising an early guarded straight razor around 1762, and the term safety razor itself first appeared in an 1880 American patent describing a handle holding a removable blade, the same basic configuration used today; the design was popularized in the early 1900s by King Camp Gillette, whose double-edged, disposable-blade razor became dominant after the United States Army issued Gillette shaving kits to soldiers during the First World War.
Facts
YearSourced to the subject's own account SignificanceSourced to the subject's own accountThe Gillette Safety Razor Company was awarded a contract to supply American troops in World War I with double-edge safety razors as standard field kit issue, delivering 3.5 million razors and 32 million blades; returning soldiers kept their razors and retained the habit, spreading disposable-blade shaving through the civilian population after the war. 1 Sources
1. Safety Razor (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section, patent paragraph, Wikipedia article Safety razor
King Camp Gillette submitted a patent application in 1901 and was granted in 1904
History section, World War I paragraph, Wikipedia article Safety razor
The Gillette Safety Razor Company was awarded a contract to supply the American troops in World War I with double-edge safety razors as part of their standard field kits
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.