What a zipper hides behind its teeth?
Who doesn't love zippers? Think of how convenient it is to close a bag with one single motion or how one can snuggly fit into their clothing in just a quick zip. Minus the minimal instances of stuck zip-tuations, there are countless uses for zippers, and almost everyone is here for them.
One might wonder how zippers became the friendly companion that we have today in opening and closing things. Remember how some of the world's greatest inventions and discoveries were accidental and not initially intended for the purpose they are known for today? Well, the journey of the zipper is something like that with the addition of several name changes.
When thinking of zippers nowadays, it is, more often than not, associated with clothing. However, the origins of the zipper weren't originally made for clothing. In addition, it wasn't even called a zipper back then. Behold the clasp locker, an invention by mechanical engineer Whitcomb Judson.
Judson intended the clasp locker for his friend, who had a hard time tying shoes because he couldn't bend over and do the thing due to a sore back. Even if the concept and idea remain practically the same, today's zipper looks different from the clasp locker. The latter consisted of a series of hooks and eyes acting as fasteners that can be opened and closed with one hand, which is different from zippers today with metal teeth and tapes.
Judson went on and patented the design for the clasp locker to start manufacturing it, but it didn't do quite well with the business. The journey continues with the head engineer at Judson's company, Gideon Sundback.
He developed Judson's design to consist of two flexible metal teeth that closed and opened by pulling a slide along them. This is similar to the modern-day zipper, but back then, he patented the design and named it a separable fastener.
Eventually, the separable fastener became the zipper as we know it today. The term zipper was given because of the sound it makes as the slide zips its way. Nothing really fancy, but the name would definitely refer to the thing itself in a heartbeat.
The manufacturing process of today's zippers has also improved through the years, allowing them to be fast and easily made. Melted aluminum is processed with molding machines to produce the zipper's unique design. Considering its convenience, it would be better to have enough zippers out there, right?