Zipper anniversary: 10 bits of trivia to impress the pants off you
Zipper anniversary: 10 bits of trivia to impress the pants off you.
In honour of the 100th anniversary of one of its early patents, we've pulled together some miscellaneous zipper trivia
By Ian Johnson, CBC News , Posted: Apr 29, 2013 
From the bathroom to the bedroom, the zipper celebrating the 100th anniversary of one of the earliest working designs has become one of the most commonly used inventions on Earth.
Billions of people rely on the zipper every day, and youll find one (or more) on everything from jackets and pants, boots, backpacks, tents and luggage, to purses, pencil cases and a memorable Rolling Stones album cover.
But they weren't always so wildly popular.
The concept of a zipper got its start when an American, Elias Howe, earned a patent in 1851 for his Automatic Continuous Clothing Closure. His idea was ahead of its time, but Howe was so busy with his other inventions (including the sewing machine, which would later make zippers much easier to install) that he never got around to commercializing the radical new type of sliding fastener.
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When zippers attack
According to a study published in March in the British Journal of Urology International, zippers are the most common cause of serious genital injury. (For those keeping score, bicycles are number two.)
At least 17,616 people in the U.S. suffered zipper-related genital injuries between 2002 and 2010 that were bad enough to land them in hospital, according to the study.
The majority of the injuries roughly five a day across the U.S. involved men mangling their manhood because they were in too much of a rush as they zipped up. (Boys apparently have more to fear from falling toilet seats than zippers, according to hospital injury statistics.)
So while Gideon Sundback gave the world a useful, time-saving invention, be careful out there as you celebrate a century of zipping.
Read the whole article (especially about celebrity embarrassing moments):
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/04/26/f-zipper-turns-100.html
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Is anyone here willing to admit to having the same experience as Ben Stiller in The Trouble With Mary ?