Gideon Sundback Gets Google Doodle Treatment for Zipper Work
Google's homepage doodle today pays homage to Gideon Sundback, who is most well-known for his work on the zipper.
Google's homepage doodle today pays homage to Gideon Sundback, who is most well-known for his work on the zipper.
As a result, Google.com is currently zipped up the middle to celebrate Sundback's 132nd birthday - clicking on it unzips the page and to reveal search results for Sundback (click below for larger image).
"Zip, zip, hooray for Gideon Sundback!" Google tweeted today.
As noted by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Swedish-born Sundback didn't actually invent the zipper, but improved upon the work of Whitcomb Judson to produce the now commonly used accessory. Whitcomb obtained a patent for a "Clasp Locker" in 1851, and Sundback expanded on that invention while working for Judson at the Universal Fastener Company in Ontario.
"Sundback increased the number of fastening elements from four to ten per inch, creating small teeth," according to his biography. "He faced two rows of teeth opposite each other and added a slider to pull them together."
The improved zippers were added to equipment and clothing for the troops during World War I and were incorporated into everyday clothing and gear by the late 1920s. The term "zipper," however, was not actually used until 1923, when coined by industrialist B. F. Goodrich, the Hall of Fame said.
For more on Google's doodles, meanwhile, see the below. Recently, the company honored and . One of the company's last year was a playable image in honor of musician Les Paul, which eventually . The company has also honored , Muppets creator , Queen frontman , and .
In 2011, it was revealed that for its popular homepage doodles, covering "systems and methods for enticing users to access a Web site." Not everyone is charmed. PCMag's Jamie Lendino recently implored: .