Zippityndoo dah, zippity aye!
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nMy,noh my, what a wonderful day
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n—because today is Zipper Day!
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nEliasnHowe, who invented the sewing machine, obtained a patent for annAutomatic, Continuous Clothing Closure (a zipperlike fastener). Thisnwas back in 1851, but Howe never bothered to market his invention.n(He was busy succeeding with his sewing machine.)
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nAnfew decades later, Whitcomb Judson thought up a similar device hennamed a Clasp Locker. He actually manufactured and sold his device asna way to fasten shoes, but his invention never caught on.
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Ancouple of decades after that, Gideon Sundback designed the modernnzipper. He called his invention a Separable Fastener, and somensources state that he received a patent for his fastener on this datenin 1913.
Ancouple of decades after that, Gideon Sundback designed the modernnzipper. He called his invention a Separable Fastener, and somensources state that he received a patent for his fastener on this datenin 1913.n
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nStill,nno zippy name. It was B. F. Goodrich (or someone at his company) whoncame up with the word zipper,nin the 1920s, when he used Sundback’s fasteners on his rubber boots.
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nInthink a good name can be important. Do you think we would make morenthan 14 billion Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closures per year—ornmiles of Separable Fasteners every day?
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| As I mentioned, miles of zippers are manufactured every single day. (But I don’t mean this sort of gigantic zipper, whatever it is!) |
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Countnhow many zippers you can spot in your home today. Some of the mostncommon places are boots, purses, backpacks, luggage, pants, skirts,njackets, couch cushions, decorative pillows, sleeping bags, andntents—but you may find some zippers in other places, too!
Countnhow many zippers you can spot in your home today. Some of the mostncommon places are boots, purses, backpacks, luggage, pants, skirts,njackets, couch cushions, decorative pillows, sleeping bags, andntents—but you may find some zippers in other places, too!n
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nDona zippernrace.nOne reason that zippers caught on is because they are fast atnfastening things! Compare how long it takes to close a shirt ornjacket with many buttons to a jacket with a zipper.
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nThenvirtual mascot on the National Geographic Kids website is namednZipper. Here are some “ZippernGames,”nwhich have nothing to do with the separable fastener we celebratentoday!
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nAlsonon this date:
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nFullmoon Day of Kason in Myanmar
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nAnniversarynof the publication of Roget’s Thesaurus
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nChemistnHarold Urey’s birthday
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