Gideon Sundback facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gideon Sundback
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Gideon Sundback
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| Born |
Otto Fredrik Gideon Sundback
April 24, 1880 |
| Died | June 21, 1954 (aged 74) Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States
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| Resting place | Greendale Cemetery |
| Nationality | Swedish-American |
| Occupation | Electrical engineer |
| Known for | Invention of the zipper |
Gideon Sundback (born April 24, 1880 – died June 21, 1954) was an electrical engineer from Sweden and America. He is best known for his important work in making the zipper what it is today.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Otto Fredrik Gideon Sundback was born on a farm called Sonarp in Ödestugu Parish, Sweden. His father, Jonas Otto Magnusson Sundback, was a successful farmer.
Gideon studied in Sweden before moving to Germany. There, he attended a technical school in Bingen am Rhein. He finished his engineering studies in 1903. Two years later, in 1905, he moved to the United States.
Developing the Zipper
In 1905, Gideon Sundback started working at Westinghouse Electric in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The next year, in 1906, he joined the Universal Fastener Company in Hoboken, New Jersey. By 1909, he became the head designer there.
Sundback made many big improvements to the zipper between 1906 and 1914. He worked for companies that later became known as Talon, Inc.. He built on ideas from other engineers like Elias Howe and Whitcomb L. Judson.
Solving Zipper Problems
The company's early zippers were based on hooks and eyes, and they often came apart. Sundback improved one of these, calling it the "Plako." But it still had the same problem of pulling apart easily.
Finally, in 1913, Sundback solved this issue. He invented the "Hookless Fastener No. 1." This was the first zipper not based on hooks and eyes. He increased the number of fastening parts from four per inch to ten or eleven. His new design had two rows of teeth that would join together when a slider pulled them.
In 1914, Sundback created an even better version called the "Hookless No. 2." This was very much like the metal zippers we use today. Each tooth on this zipper has a small bump on top and a dimple on the bottom. When the slider moves, the bump of one tooth fits into the dimple of the next tooth.
The teeth are tightly attached to a strong fabric tape. This design makes sure the teeth stay locked together and don't pull apart easily. The patent for this "Separable Fastener" was given in 1917.
The Zipper Machine
Gideon Sundback also invented the machine that made these new zippers. This machine, called the "S-L" or "scrapless" machine, could cut and shape special Y-shaped wire. It would then attach each piece to a cloth tape, creating a continuous zipper chain.
In its first year, Sundback's machine produced hundreds of feet (about 100 meters) of zipper per day.
How the Zipper Got its Name
The word zipper was first used in 1923 by B.F. Goodrich. They used Sundback's device on their new boots. At first, zippers were mostly used for boots and tobacco pouches. It took about twenty more years for them to become popular in the fashion world. Around the time of World War II, zippers were widely used for pants and skirts.
Later Life and Recognition
Sundback was the president of the Lightning Fastener Company, an early zipper maker in Canada. However, he lived in Meadville, Pennsylvania and remained an American citizen.
In 1951, he received the Gold Medal from the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. Gideon Sundback passed away in 1954 from a heart condition. He was buried in Greendale Cemetery in Meadville, Pennsylvania.
Legacy
In 2006, Gideon Sundback was honored by being included in the National Inventors Hall of Fame. This was for his important work in developing the zipper.
On April 24, 2012, which was Sundback's 132nd birthday, Google changed its homepage logo to a Google Doodle of a zipper. When people "opened" the zipper, it showed search results for "Gideon Sundback."
1917 Patent Drawings
Sundback's patent drawings from 1917:
See also
In Spanish: Gideon Sundbäck para niños
