Whitcomb L. Judson (March 7, – December 7, ) was an American machine salesman, mechanical engineer and inventor. He received thirty patents over a sixteen-year career, fourteen of which were on pneumatic street railway innovations. Six of his patents had to do with a motor mechanism suspended beneath the rail-car that functioned with compressed air. He founded the Judson Pneumatic Street Railway.
Judson is most noted for his invention of the zip fastener. It was originally called a clasp-locker. The first application was as a fastener for shoes and high boots. The patent said it could be used wherever it was desirable to connect a pair of adjacent flexible parts that could be detached easily. Possible applications noted were for corsets, gloves, and mail bags.
Early life
Judson was born March 7, , in Chicago, Illinois. He served in the Union Army and enlisted in at Oneida, Illinois, in the 42nd Illinois Infantry Regiment according to the Illinois State Archives. Judson attended Knox College in his hometown Galesburg, Illinois. He was found in Minn
The humble zipper, a ubiquitous innovation in modern fastening, owes its inception to the unique minds of two individuals. Whitcomb L. Judson, an engineer, is credited with creating the ‘clasp locker,’ a device that laid the groundwork for zip fasteners.
However, it was Gideon Sundback who, with improved design and functionality, refined Judson&#;s invention into the modern zipper we know today.
Who Invented the Zipper?
Whitcomb L. Judson invented the zipper. He was an inventor who first introduced the fastener as a &#;clasp locker&#; at the Chicago World&#;s Fair. Gideon Sundback later refined Judson’s design, achieving the commercial success of what would be recognized as the modern zipper, a device that gifted society with a continuous clothing closure solution that&#;s both practical and reliable.
The Clasp Locker to Modern Zipper Transition
The clasp locker, the precursor to the modern zipper, was an assembly of hook-and-eye elements devised by Judson. Although his initial design was more about fastening boots and did not immediately take off, it was the foundation of the modern zipper.
Sundback brought his engineering prowess into play, contributing meticulous design
History of the Zipper
Since YKK manufactures roughly 3 million kilometers worth of zippers every year, some assume we invented this integral apparel product. However, the invention of the zipper predates our company&#;s founding. This begs the question: Who invented the zipper?
Let&#;s find out!
Elias Howe Jr. and the Unutilized Patent
In , inventor Elias Howe Jr. secured a patent for an &#;Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure.&#; Despite this, Howe abandoned the pursuit to invent a device that would automatically keep garments fastened, likely due to the success of his most famous invention, the sewing machine. Thus, while Elias Howe Jr. is a key figure in the history of the noble zipper, he himself was not its originator. To credit the rightful inventor of the zipper, we must look to Whitcomb L. Judson.
Whitcomb L. Judson and the Clasp Locker
Whitcomb L. Judson is most often credited with the invention of the zipper, which he referred to as the &#;Slide Fastener&#; or &#;Clasp Locker.&#; The clasp locker was composed of hooks and eyes and its first use was as a shoe fastener (although Judson hoped it would eventually be applied to other types of products). On
Whitcomb L Judson ( - )
Biography
Whitcomb Judson is Notable.
Whitcomb L. Judson (March 7, – December 7, ) was an American machine salesman, mechanical engineer and inventor. Judson invented the zipper in the s.
Early life- Judson was born in Chicago, Illinois. According to the census, he lived in Illinois, and served in the Union army. He enlisted in at Oneida, Illinois in the Forty-Second Illinois Cavalry. Judson attended Knox College in his hometown Galesburg, Illinois. He was found in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in In and the Minneapolis city directory identifies Judson as a "traveling agent" — a traveling salesman working probably for Pitts Agricultural Works. A couple of years later Judson began working for Earle Manufacturing Company with Harry L. Earle as the head of the firm. Judson sold band cutters and grain scales for them along with other items as one of their salesmen.
Family- Married Anne Martin and had three children: Ione, Gertrude and Ross (the co-founder of Continental Motors)
Street railway- Judson began his efforts of making inventions around to His concentration was on inventions for a "pneumatic street railway". His first patented invent
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