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{{Short description|Swedish-American inventor (1880-1954)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2019}}
| name = Gideon Sundback
{{Infobox person
| image = Gideon Sundback.jpg
| name = Gideon Sundback
| image_size = 200px
| caption = Gideon Sundback | image = Gideon Sundback.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption =
| caption = Sundback circa 1920
| birth_name =
| birth_name = Otto Fredrik Gideon Sundbäck
| birth_date = {{birth date|1880|4|24}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1880|4|24}}
| birth_place = ], ], ], ]
| birth_place = ], ], ], Sweden
| death_date = {{death date and age|1954|6|21|1880|4|24}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1954|6|21|1880|4|24}}
| death_place = ], ]
| death_place = ], United States
| death_cause =
| death_cause =
| resting_place = ]
| resting_place = ]
| resting_place_coordinates = | resting_place_coordinates =
| nationality = Swedish-American
| residence =
| other_names =
| nationality = ]-]
| known_for = Invention of the zipper
| ethnicity = ]
| other_names = | education =
| known_for = Development of the zipper | employer =
| occupation = Electrical engineer
| education =
| spouse = {{marriage|Elvira Aronson|1909}}
| employer =
| occupation = ]
| title =
| salary =
| networth =
| height =
| weight =
| term =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| party =
| boards =
| spouse = Elvira Aronson, married in 1909
| partner =
| children =
| parents = Jonas Otto Magnusson Sundbäck and Kristina Karolina Klasdotter
| relatives =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
| religion =
}} }}


'''Gideon Sundback''' (April 24, 1880 – June 21, 1954) was a ]-] electrical engineer. Gideon Sundback is most commonly associated with his work in the development of the ].<ref>)</ref> '''Otto Fredrik Gideon Sundbäck''' (April 24, 1880 – June 21, 1954) was a Swedish-American electrical engineer, who is most commonly associated with his work in the development of the ].<ref name="HOF"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709212925/http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/302.html |date=July 9, 2010 }})</ref>


==Background== == Background ==
Otto Fredrik Gideon Sundback was born on Sonarp farm in Ödestugu Parish, in ], ], ]. He was the son of Jonas Otto Magnusson Sundbäck, a prosperous farmer, and his wife Kristina Karolina Klasdotter. After his studies in ], Sundback moved to ], where he studied at the polytechnic school in ]. In 1903, Sundback took his engineer exam. In 1905, he emigrated to the ].<ref>{{cite book|title=Inventing the 20th century: 100 inventions that shaped the world: from the airplane to the zipper|publisher=NYU Press|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=aVHRRoQvW60C&pg=PA58&dq=Gideon+Sundback+and+nationality&hl=en&ei=X3bITrHkDonFtgewkP3RCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Gideon%20Sundback%20and%20nationality&f=false}}</ref><ref>Petroski, Henry ''The Evolution of Useful Things'' (Random House of Canada, 1994) ISBN 0-679-74039-2 page 103 </ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology|publisher=Taylor & Francis|page=1181|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=n--ivouMng8C&pg=PA1181&dq=Gideon+Sundback+Swedish-American&hl=en&sa=X&ei=7zqlT9iZK5Cu8AT6jP27Aw&ved=0CEMQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q=Gideon%20Sundback%20United%20States&f=false}}</ref> Otto Fredrik Gideon Sundbäck was born on Sonarp farm in Ödestugu Parish, in ], ], Sweden. He was the son of Jonas Otto Magnusson Sundbäck, a prosperous farmer, and his wife Kristina Karolina Klasdotter. After his studies in Sweden, Sundbäck moved to Germany, where he studied at the polytechnic school in ], graduating in engineering in 1903. In 1905, he emigrated to the United States.<ref>{{cite book|title=Inventing the 20th century: 100 inventions that shaped the world: from the airplane to the zipper|date=May 2002|publisher=NYU Press|isbn=9780814788127|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aVHRRoQvW60C&pg=PA58}}</ref><ref>Petroski, Henry ''The Evolution of Useful Things'' (Random House of Canada, 1994) {{ISBN|0-679-74039-2}} page 103</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology|date=September 2003|publisher=Taylor & Francis|page=1181|isbn=9780203028292|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n--ivouMng8C&q=Gideon+Sundback+United+States&pg=PA1181}}</ref>

==Career==
In 1905, Gideon Sundback started to work at ] in ]. In 1906, Sundback was hired to work for the Universal Fastener Company of ]. Subsequently in 1909,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.thestar.com/living/article/1166960--gideon-sundback-inventor-of-the-zipper-honoured-by-today-s-google-doodle | location=Toronto | work=The Star | first=Bruce | last=DeMara | title=Gideon Sundback, inventor of the zipper, honoured by today's Google Doodle | date=April 24, 2012}}</ref> Sundback was promoted to the position of head designer at Universal Fastener.

Sundback made several advances in the development of the ] between 1906 and 1914, while working for companies that later evolved into ] He built upon the previous work of other engineers such as ], Max Wolff, and ].

He was responsible for improving the "Judson C-curity Fastener". At that time the company's product was still based on hooks and eyes. Sundback developed an improved version of the C-curity, called the "Plako", but it too had a strong tendency to pull apart, and was not any more successful than the previous versions. Sundback finally solved the pulling-apart problem in 1913, with his invention of the first version not based on the hook-and-eye principle, the "Hookless Fastener No. 1". He increased the number of fastening elements from four per inch to ten or eleven. His invention had two facing rows of teeth that pulled into a single piece by the slider, and increased the opening for the teeth guided by the slider.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thomasnet.com/articles/hardware/zipper-history |title='&#39;History of the Zipper'&#39; (Thomas Publishing Company) |publisher=Thomasnet.com |date= |accessdate=2012-04-23}}</ref>

The patent for the "Separable Fastener" was issued in 1917. Gideon Sundback also created the manufacturing machine for the new device. The "S-L" or "scrapless" machine took a special Y-shaped wire and cut scoops from it, then punched the scoop dimple and nib, and clamped each scoop on a cloth tape to produce a continuous zipper chain. Within the first year of operation, Sundback's machinery was producing a few hundred feet (around 100 meters) of fastener per day.

]
In 1914, Sundback developed a version based on interlocking teeth, the "Hookless No. 2", which was the modern metal zipper in all its essentials. In this fastener each tooth is punched to have a dimple on its bottom and a nib or conical projection on its top. The nib atop one tooth engages in the matching dimple in the bottom of the tooth that follows it on the other side as the two strips of teeth are brought together through the two Y channels of the slider. The teeth are crimped tightly to a strong fabric cord that is the ] edge of the cloth tape that attaches the zipper to the garment, with the teeth on one side offset by half a tooth's height from those on the other side's tape. They are held so tightly to the cord and tape that once meshed there is not enough play to let them pull apart. A tooth cannot rise up off the nib below it enough to break free, and its nib on top cannot drop out of the dimple in the tooth above it. {{US patent|1219881}} for the "Separable Fastener" was issued in 1917.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.design-technology.info/inventors/page16.htm |title='&#39;Gideon Sundback'&#39; (Inventors & Inventions) |publisher=Design-technology.info |date=2008-07-26 |accessdate=2012-04-23}}</ref>

The name ''zipper'' was created in 1923 by ], who used the device on their new ]s. Initially, boots and ] pouches were the primary use for zippers; it took another twenty years before they caught on in the ] industry. About the time of ] the zipper achieved wide acceptance for the flies of trousers and the ]s of skirts and dresses.<ref name=Friedel96>''Zipper: An exploration in novelty'' (Robert Friedel, author. W. W. Norton and Company, New York, 1996) ISBN 0-393-31365-4</ref>

Sundback also created the manufacturing machine for the new zipper. Lightning Fastener Company, one early manufacturer of the zipper, was based in ], ]. Although Sundback frequently visited the Canadian factory as president of the company, he resided in ], ] and remained an ]. Sundback was awarded the Gold Medal of the ] in 1951. Sundback died of a heart condition in 1954 and was interred at ] in Meadville, Pennsylvania.


==Personal== ==Personal==
On June 5, 1909, Sundback married Elvira Aronson, daughter of the Swedish born plant manager Peter Aronsson, in Hoboken, New Jersey.<ref>{{cite book|title=Zipper: An Exploration in Novelty|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|page=74|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=kdbxPScyegYC&pg=PA74&dq=In+1909,+Sundback+married+Elvira+Aronson&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wzelT43zMsmltwe6peT2BA&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=In%201909%2C%20Sundback%20married%20Elvira%20Aronson&f=false}}</ref> On June 5, 1909, Sundbäck married (Naomi) Elvira Aronson, daughter of the Swedish-born plant manager Peter Aron Aronson (Aronsson), in ].<ref>{{cite book|title=Zipper: An Exploration in Novelty|year=1996|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|page=74|isbn=9780393313659|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kdbxPScyegYC&pg=PA74}}</ref>


==Legacy== ==Legacy==
In 2006, Gideon Sundback was honored by inclusion in the ] for his work on the development of the zipper.<ref name="Friedel96"/><ref></ref> On April 24, 2012, the 132nd anniversary of Sundback's birth, ] changed the ] on its homepage to a ] of the ], which when opened revealed the results of a search for ''Gideon Sundback''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gideon Sundback celebrated in a Google doodle|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/apr/24/gideon-sundback-celebrated-google-doodle|accessdate=24 April 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=24 April 2012|location=London}}</ref> In 2006, Sundbäck was honored by inclusion in the ] for his work on the development of the zipper.<ref name=Friedel96>''Zipper: An exploration in novelty'' (Robert Friedel, author. W. W. Norton and Company, New York, 1996) {{ISBN|0-393-31365-4}}</ref><ref></ref> On April 24, 2012, the 132nd anniversary of Sundbäck’s birth, Google changed the ] on its homepage to a ] of the ], which when opened revealed the results of a search for ''Gideon Sundbäck''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gideon Sundback celebrated in a Google doodle|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/apr/24/gideon-sundback-celebrated-google-doodle|access-date=April 24, 2012|newspaper=The Guardian|date=April 24, 2012|location=London}}</ref>


==1917 patent== ==1917 patent==
Sundback's {{US patent|1219881}} (filed in 1914, issued in 1917): <br> Sundbäck's {{US patent|1219881}} (filed in 1914, issued in 1917): <br>
<gallery> <gallery>
File:001 Sundback zipper 1917 patent.jpg File:001 Sundback zipper 1917 patent.jpg
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==References== ==References==
{{reflist|30em}} {{reflist}}

==Other sources==
*Petroski, Henry (1992) ''The Evolution of Useful Things'' (Vintage Books) {{ISBN|0-679-74039-2}}
*Friedel, Robert (1996) ''Zipper: An Exploration in Novelty'' (W. W. Norton and Company) {{ISBN|0-393-31365-4}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{commonscat|Gideon Sundback}} {{commons category|Gideon Sundback}}
* *

{{authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. -->
| NAME = Sundback, Gideon
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH = April 24, 1880
| PLACE OF BIRTH = ], ], ], ]
| DATE OF DEATH = June 21, 1954
| PLACE OF DEATH = ], ]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sundback, Gideon}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Sundback, Gideon}}
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Latest revision as of 18:18, 7 January 2024

Swedish-American inventor (1880-1954)

Gideon Sundback
Sundback circa 1920
BornOtto Fredrik Gideon Sundbäck
(1880-04-24)April 24, 1880
Ödestugu Parish, Jönköping County, Småland, Sweden
DiedJune 21, 1954(1954-06-21) (aged 74)
Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States
Resting placeGreendale Cemetery
NationalitySwedish-American
OccupationElectrical engineer
Known forInvention of the zipper
Spouse Elvira Aronson ​(m. 1909)​

Otto Fredrik Gideon Sundbäck (April 24, 1880 – June 21, 1954) was a Swedish-American electrical engineer, who is most commonly associated with his work in the development of the zipper.

Background

Otto Fredrik Gideon Sundbäck was born on Sonarp farm in Ödestugu Parish, in Jönköping County, Småland, Sweden. He was the son of Jonas Otto Magnusson Sundbäck, a prosperous farmer, and his wife Kristina Karolina Klasdotter. After his studies in Sweden, Sundbäck moved to Germany, where he studied at the polytechnic school in Bingen am Rhein, graduating in engineering in 1903. In 1905, he emigrated to the United States.

Personal

On June 5, 1909, Sundbäck married (Naomi) Elvira Aronson, daughter of the Swedish-born plant manager Peter Aron Aronson (Aronsson), in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Legacy

In 2006, Sundbäck was honored by inclusion in the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his work on the development of the zipper. On April 24, 2012, the 132nd anniversary of Sundbäck’s birth, Google changed the Google logo on its homepage to a Google Doodle of the zipper, which when opened revealed the results of a search for Gideon Sundbäck.

1917 patent

Sundbäck's U.S. patent 1,219,881 (filed in 1914, issued in 1917):

References

  1. Gideon Sundback (National Inventors Hall of Fame Archived July 9, 2010, at the Wayback Machine)
  2. Inventing the 20th century: 100 inventions that shaped the world: from the airplane to the zipper. NYU Press. May 2002. ISBN 9780814788127.
  3. Petroski, Henry The Evolution of Useful Things (Random House of Canada, 1994) ISBN 0-679-74039-2 page 103
  4. Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology. Taylor & Francis. September 2003. p. 1181. ISBN 9780203028292.
  5. Zipper: An Exploration in Novelty. W. W. Norton & Company. 1996. p. 74. ISBN 9780393313659.
  6. Zipper: An exploration in novelty (Robert Friedel, author. W. W. Norton and Company, New York, 1996) ISBN 0-393-31365-4
  7. Lightning Fastener Company Limited (Brock University)
  8. "Gideon Sundback celebrated in a Google doodle". The Guardian. London. April 24, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2012.

Other sources

  • Petroski, Henry (1992) The Evolution of Useful Things (Vintage Books) ISBN 0-679-74039-2
  • Friedel, Robert (1996) Zipper: An Exploration in Novelty (W. W. Norton and Company) ISBN 0-393-31365-4

External links

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