April 29 – National Zipper Day

An essential part of our daily lives, the zipper has made getting dressed a breeze.. Without the zipper, we’d be stuck using buttons, hooks, clasps, and string ties to open and close our clothing, luggage, and a variety of other items. Can you imagine how much time that would waste?

In 1851, Elias Howe, the inventor of the sewing machine, created the first zipper. It consisted of a row of teeth on one tape with a second tape that slid over the teeth. The first zippers were made of brass and were used on tobacco pouches and money bags. In 1893, Whitcomb L. Judson invented the modern zipper. His design was a row of small metal teeth on one tape that engaged with a slider. Judson’s company, the Universal Fastener Company, exhibited the new fastener at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. The zipper was not widely used until World War I, when it was used to fasten fly fronts on army uniforms. After the war, the zipper became popular on children’s clothing, then men’s and women’s trousers, and finally on a variety of other items.