The Zipper

The zipper is a wonderful invention. How did people ever live without zipper? They are very common, so we forget that they are wonderful. They are very strong, but they open and close very easily. They come in many colors and sizes. In 1890s, people in the United States wore high shoes with a long row of buttons. Women's clothes often had rows of buttons too. People wanted an easier way to put on and take off clothes.

Whitcomb L. Judson invented the zipper in 1893. He was an engineer in Chicago. He called the zipper a slide fastener. However, it didn't stay closed very well. This was embarrassing, and people didn't buy many of them. Then Dr. Gideon Sundback from Sweden solved this problem.
A zipper has three parts; 1. There are dozens of metal or plastic hooks (called teeth) in two rows.

2. These are fastened to two strips of cloth. The cloth strips are flexible. They bend easily. 3. A fastener slides along and fastens the hooks together. When it slides the other way, it takes the hooks apart.

Dr. Sundback put the hooks on the strips of cloth. The cloth holds all the hooks in place. They don't come apart very easily. This solved the problem of the first zippers.