An American inventor named Whitcomb Judson patented an early zipper-like device in 1893. He called it a “clasp locker” and showed it off at the Chicago World’s Fair. People were unimpressed. The thing kept popping open. For 20 years it was used mostly on boots and tobacco pouches - and only by people brave enough to risk it.
In 1913 a Swedish-American engineer named Gideon Sundback finally fixed the design. He made each tooth a tiny scoop that hooked under the tooth opposite. Pulled together, the teeth locked tightly. Pulled apart, they slid free. That’s still basically the design we use today.
The word “zipper” came from a boot brand called Zipper Boots, made by B.F. Goodrich in 1923. By the 1930s zippers were popping up in everything - bags, jackets, dresses, jeans. Today there are billions of zippers made every year, each one a tiny machine of clever little teeth.
