Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Thursday, August 11
    Trending
    • History Short: Aethelred was Unready for the Vikings!
    • This Day in History on August 11th
    • History Short: Why is this Guy NOT in the Hall of Fame?
    • History Short: The Only Country Given Independence Unwillingly!
    • History Short: What is the Greatest Anti-War Song?
    • History Short: Does Barry Bonds Belong in the Hall of Fame?
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through August 7th)
    • History Short: NASA Declares Life in Space is Real!
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Science & Technology»Inventions»May 13, 1958: Velcro Trademarked! Never Tie Your Shoes Again!
    Inventions

    May 13, 1958: Velcro Trademarked! Never Tie Your Shoes Again!

    Major DanBy Major DanMay 13, 2016Updated:March 23, 2020No Comments3 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

    A Brief History

    On May 13, 1958, George de Mestral of Switzerland trademarked his 1948 invention, Velcro.  Mestral had patented Velcro in 1955 and started marketing the handy invention in 1958.  Not surprisingly, the company that makes Velcro is called, Velcro!

    Digging Deeper

    Starting with cotton for the fuzzy part of the two part tape, De Mestral quickly realized something different was needed. Using Nylon and Polyester was the ticket, and the rest is modern convenience history. Like “Kleenex” for facial tissues or “Jell-o” for gelatin, Velcro is referred to generically for “hook and loop” fasteners of any brand. Velcro consists of a fuzzy side and a mating side featuring “hooks” that become enmeshed in the fuzzy side when pressed together. Different holding strength can be built into the product for different applications.

    Velcro, the invention for which de Mestral is famous

    The inspiration for Velcro came from the way burrs in a field stick to your clothing or your dog’s fur. De Mestral noticed how the burrs stuck to him and his dog when they went for walks in fields, causing him to look at burrs under a microscope to see how the process works, giving him the idea for Velcro.

    Perfecting the method to manufacture Velcro took several years, and the public and fashion industry also took their time to accept the new product. When De Mestral’s patent expired in 1978, the floodgates for economical Velcro clones were opened with products from the far east predominating.

    Velcro is a truly great modern convenience that is typically used to close pockets, file flaps, in place of zippers or buttons on clothes, in place of shoestrings on shoes, non-permanent attachment of devices to walls, doors, or the dashboard of a car, and about a million other uses. Velcro is handy for securing bundles, extension cords, hoses or the tangle of wires under your computer. It is even used in spacecraft. (What is your favorite use? Share it with us in the comments.)

    Velcro is especially handy for people with diminished hand coordination, such as amputees, stroke victims, arthritis victims and elderly people. And to think, we have simple burrs from field weeds to thank for this modern convenience.

    Question for students (and subscribers): Do you have shoes with Velcro?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Icon Group International.  Velcro: Webster’s Timeline History, 1907 – 2007.  ICON Group International, Inc., 2010.

    Roberts, Jeanie and Royston M. Roberts.  Lucky Science: Accidental Discoveries From Gravity to Velcro, with Experiments.  Wiley, 1994.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous Article10 Most Famous Aircraft
    Next Article 10 Products That Seem All-American But Are Not!
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: What Thing of the Past Do You Miss the Most?

    July 31, 2022

    History Short: The Greatest Car of All Time

    July 30, 2022

    10 Great Airplane Flights

    July 25, 2022
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    History Short: Aethelred was Unready for the Vikings!

    August 11, 2022

    This Day in History on August 11th

    August 11, 2022

    History Short: Why is this Guy NOT in the Hall of Fame?

    August 10, 2022

    History Short: The Only Country Given Independence Unwillingly!

    August 9, 2022

    History Short: What is the Greatest Anti-War Song?

    August 8, 2022
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2022 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.