Happy "Zipper Day"!

Today is Zipper Day, thanks to Gideon Sundback (1880-1954), a Swedish-American electrical engineer, of Hoboken, N.J. who designed the modern zipper (1913). Due to the death of his wife, Gideon, threw himself into his work which resulted in a patent for the zipper.

Elias Howe, who invented the sewing machine, received a patent in 1851 for an "Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure". Perhaps because of the success of his sewing machine, he did not try to seriously market it, and missed out on any recognition he might otherwise have received.

Next, 42 years later, Whitcomb Judson, who invented the pneumatic street railway, marketed a "Clasp Locker". He opened a factory, the Universal Fastener Company to manufacture the new device. The clasp locker had its public debut at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and met with little commercial success.

Then, in 1906, Gideon Sundback was hired to work for the Judson's Universal Fastener Company. Good technical skills and a marriage to the plant-manager's daughter Elvira Aronson led Sundbäck to the position of head designer. He worked for Gideon Sundback remodeled Judson's fastener into a more streamlined and reliable form, was the fastener a success. Originally, his invention was called "Hookless Fastener No. 1," then, "Hookless Fastener No. 2". On April 29, 1913 it was patented as the "Hookless Fastener" and after more improvements patented in 1917 as the "Separable Fastener". He finished the design and patented the 'Separable Fastener' in 1917.

The name zipper was created by B.F. Goodrich who used the device on their new boots. Initially, boots and tobacco pouches were the primary use for zippers; it took another 20 years before they caught on in the fashion industry. About the time of World War II the zipper achieved wide acceptance for the flies of trousers and the plackets of skirts and dresses. 

(Sources: Wikipedia & history of the zipper; photo credit: Sundback, invent.org; Elias Howe Sewing Machine September 10, 1846, Wikipedia; Judson's improved 'clasp-locker' fastener, 1893, Wikipedia; Sundback zipper patent, maps.thefullwiki.org; zipper, thezipper.umwblogs.org; jean fly zipper, tocologne.wordpress.com)