Vitkomb Judson

This is the real history of failure. The man who invented the most popular around the globe a way to fasten, or rather, a zipper, bearded engineer, bore, devoid of commercial vein, Vitkomb Judson all forgotten. And his invention, zipper - not only an integral part of our everyday life, but also one of the legends of XX century.
It was some time before the Chicago rose from the ruins after a fire in 1871. Entire areas have been rebuilt. Skyscrapers with metal beams were growing like mushrooms. Industrialization gathered momentum. Start new businesses and shops. From lanky student Faculty of Engineering, University of Chicago Vitkomb Judson became a veteran professional, engineer-inventor. He began his road manager on the sale of agricultural machinery in a small Chicago company. And there part-time worked in accordance with their education inventions.
He developed a well-known in those years pneumatic agricultural machinery and received his first patent. For this invention followed by others, allowing Judson to forty years to open its own tiny engineering firm - Judson Ingenering. The dream of his life was the invention of pneumatic street railway. He was well known in their circles. Most of all he loved the quiet family weekends and still work in comfortable office agency, cluttered layouts and drawings. Secrets of his development he has done in his office is often frequented by colleagues, students and local journalists, Chicago and rushing to tell the world about once a novelty.

Yet they went to him not too happy. In traditional journalistic question: "Do not tell us whether you know about your next novinkeN" Judson answered very thoroughly. He slowly muttered in his beard, something seemed to him, clearly explains the device and how it works. Rare listener was serving up to the third sentence, the majority of sour at the first. Judson did not take offense. With the same leisurely goodwill he saw inattentive amateur and returned to work. The first brought him fame improved motor boats. Another invention was a new braking system for trains. Then - a special handle for opening and closing the windows in the trains.
By 1891 at the Chicago engineer-inventor, there were already more than a dozen patents. But one problem he could not solve: his friend is suffering from a back injury and could not bend over to lace up his boots.
. - Think of something - pleaded friend .- With one hand I would be able to do so, raising the other leg.
. Judson long thought that this would build
. And then one day he invented a clasp locker (zip-lock). A month before Judson lay model of his invention which he patented Aug. 29, 1893. A strange device, consisting of two chains, each of which alternated hooks with holes to catch on with the help of mobile metal staples-reed.

. Against the background of the increasingly frantic pace of technological revolution, these strange loops and hooks strange look ridiculous
. Especially in Chicago, the industrial center of the world. Judson was well aware that his clasp locker still need to submit to the public that it is necessary to convince the business and fashion. The first step Judson taken immediately: he put the zipper on the International Exhibition of technologies, which is just in that year was held in Chicago.

The exhibition, organized in honor of 400 anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus, was a real sensation. According to the plan exhibition organizers had to become an anthem of Chicago, the center of industry, science and art. Initially planned to hold an exhibition in New York, but Chicago won back in New York is right. The exhibition lasted for six months, during which time it traveled about 22 million. people, more than half the total population of America - from Kansas to California suburbanites snobs.
. Among the arrivals were the inventors, . hoping to bring in the light of their offspring, . businessmen, . wishing to establish sales of new products, . simply spectators from across the country, . without them, and then, . in our days can not pass any significant event,
. Why did they not seen enough people in those days! and various household appliances, and industrial technology, and entertainment industry, and just jambalaya, which words can not describe. On the third day of the exhibition stand by with lightning, drowning in the abundance of a variety of exhibits, was held woozy from what he saw a young couple.
. - Look! What a curious kryuchochkiN - coyly asked the lady.
. - This is a totally new clasp, which enables you to zip up boots with only one hand
. Charge for this so moving part - in detail, as usual, began to explain Judson - and fluid motion, begins to move it at an angle of 30 б° upwards.

. Nedoslushav half the details, the visitors went away to stare at the Ferris wheel, around which were gathered a great number of people
. What kind of little things there! Judson has a long and boring mumbled something into the void. And then bitterly stated: genuine attention to his invention then did not pay nobody.

But, despite the first failure, Judson decided to continue. Closest friend, who is now able to zip up shoes with one hand, warmly supported his plans for expanded advertising lightning. Despite the apathy of the public, Judson never for a moment doubted that he had invented a great thing. Very soon he and his partner Lewis Walker opened the Universal Fastner Company, which manufactures and sells lightning. But the sale did not go nearly. The company was going through hard times.
For this there were several reasons. First, the lightning looked frankly unattractive. Secondly, it would often jam. Thirdly, everyone seemed to understand how such a structure, it is inconceivable, and therefore had to sell zippers with a two-instruction. Finally, the technology of manufacturing ingenious clasp was so complex that it had to sell it at a price exceeding twice the price of a skirt or trousers. All the circumstances were against Judson.
Perhaps the lightning had not won the world would be if it did not help at the beginning of our century, an enterprising Swedish engineer Gideon Sundbek. Universal Fastner Company hired him to improve the lightning. Sundbek increased the number of hooks and made a lightning more elegant and easy, that was the first opportunity to use it not only for shoes. In 1914, the company, which established Judson, entered the first major order: postal service has decided to use his invention for their bags. And soon the lightning ordered the army for uniforms and military equipment (was the First World War). In 1923, the company in. F. Goodrich used the zipper on his rubber galoshes. By the end of the 20's finally began to use the lightning in the clothing, . especially children, . with advertising in one voice stated: "Your children can dress themselves!" Things went better, . truth is not so, . to seriously improve the development and spend money on advertising,
. But Judson did not live up to these modest success of his invention. He died in 1909 at age 63.
Real life lightning started in 1937. French fashion designer Jean-Claude, a man not only tasteful, but also with a commercial vein, I decided to use it in their works. Exclusively for outrageous. He did not put it on the shoes or bag, and the pants. The audience liked. Sales went up rapidly. True, men are quickly confronted with serious problems. First, they forgot to fasten the zipper, and secondly, it turned out that lightning buttoned pants can often cause physical damage. In Europe and America went jokes. That only added popular products. Nobody noticed how shy scion dzhadsonskogo imagination has penetrated into all spheres of modern life and become indispensable.
In general, the history of invention of lightning - a sad story. Three letters YKK, adorn the zipper pull tab, do not have anything to do with the name Vitkomba Judson. This is simply the name of a leading Japanese company to produce these superudobnyh clasps.