A zipper, also called a zip fastener, is a device for binding together two edges of fabric or other flexible material using interlocking teeth drawn together by a sliding tab. The modern device grew out of a fastener patented in 1892 by the American inventor Whitcomb L. Judson, and it later took its familiar name from a 1923 line of rubber boots that could be closed with, in the manufacturer's words, a single zip of the hand, after which the hookless fastener itself became known as the zipper.
Facts
Patent or First-Use Date YearAn earlier, non-functional slide-fastener patent was issued to Elias Howe in 1851; 1893 is Whitcomb Judson's clasp-locker patent, the first design actually manufactured and sold. SignificanceGideon Sundback redesigned Judson's clasp-locker into a more durable slide fastener, which went on sale in 1913 and became the modern zipper. 1 Connections
In Field
Source Zipper (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Zipper (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHistory section, Judson clasp-locker sentence
Judson secured a second patent through his 'clasp-locker' design on August 29th of 1893.
History section, Sundback redesign sentence
Sundbäck redesigned the Judson fastener to create a more durable design, and the zipper first went on sale in 1913.
In Field: Mechanical Engineering, Categories
Fasteners
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