National Zipper Day
About National Zipper Day
When is National Zipper Day? This holiday is always celebrated on April 29
Zip it or unzip it, for today is National Zipper Day, an April 29 holiday. Zippety Doo Dah, ain’t that great! Originally called the “Continuous Clothing Closure”, it revolutionized how we tie and bundle clothing and a wide variety of other items.
Did you ever stop to think about where we’d be without the zipper? We’d be wasting countless minutes every day, using buttons, hooks, clasps, and string ties to open and close our clothing, luggage, and a variety of other items. With the advent of the zipper, one quick zip and your clothes quickly and comfortably open or close.
Thankfully, Elias Howe invented the zipper in 1851. On April 29, 1851, Howe applied for a patent for the “Continuous Clothing Closure”. Strangely, Howe never marketed it. In 1893, Whitcomb Judson started the Universal Fastener Company and began selling the “Clasp Locker”. It debuted at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and initially received only moderate success. In 1913, Gideon Sundback, a Swedish electrical engineer and scientist invented and marketed the modern zipper. He called it the “Hookless Fastener”. It wasn’t until 1923 that B.F. Goodrich coined the term “zipper”.
To this day, metal zippers are by far the most popular fastener. The strength and durability of the metal zipper far surpasses that of plastic zippers. That’s not to say plastic zippers are seldom used. For example, plastic zip-lock food bags are extremely popular.
Velcro Versus the Zipper
Velcro, the “hook and loop” fastener, was invented in the 1940s. It is very popular for a wide variety of uses. Some folks thought velcro would make the zipper obsolete. This wasn’t to be. Zippers are stronger and more durable. While velcro is a great fastener, it is noisy and can get clogged with dirt, dust, and hair. As a result, it doesn’t last as long. Hence, the military is not overly fond of it in combat situations.
How to Celebrate in National Zipper Day
Here are a few ideas on how to celebrate the creation of the Continuous Clothing Closure:
- Explore the different types of zippers.
- Buy something with a zipper.
- If you are a seamstress, make an article of clothing with a zipper.
- Read more about the inventor.
Today's Quote
“God lends a helping hand to a man who tries hard.” – – Aeschylus
History and Origin of National Zipper Day
Now that you’ve learned a lot about the zipper, you probably would like to know the origin of this special day. We know that the date of April 29th was chosen, as this was the date Elias Howe applied for a patent for the zipper. Unfortunately, we have yet to discover who created this special day, and when it was first celebrated.
This is referred to as a “National” day. However, we did not find any congressional records or presidential proclamations for this day.
Definition of “National” Days – Find out why it is important to distinguish true National days.
This Day in History
Besides National Zipper Day, here are some other things that happened on April 29:
- The first edition of Peter Roget’s Thesaurus is published. (1852)
- The world record longest sausage is made in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It is 28.77 miles long! (1995)
- Actor and comedian Jerry Seinfeld was born on this day in 1954.
More April 29 Holidays
Additionally, here are more April 29 holidays we are sure you will enjoy:
More About Today
This Day in History – Indeed, many other important events occurred on this date in April. See what happened on this date in history.
Famous April Birthdays – Did you ever wonder what famous people share your birth date? If so, then find out now!
Ecards – Send a free Ecard daily for National Zipper Day or just about any calendar holiday, occasion, observance, or event. Undoubtedly, it’s fun for both the sender and the recipient.
Flower of the Day: Buttercups
Recipe of the Day: Asparagus Casserole
Holiday Insights, where every day in April is a holiday, a bizarre or wacky day, an observance, or a special event. Join us in the daily calendar fun each and every day of the year.
Did You Know? Furthermore, in addition to National Zipper Day, there are literally thousands of daily holidays, special events, and observances, more than one for every day of the year. What’s more, many of these holidays are new. People and organizations are creating new holidays regularly. April holidays are no exception. Consequently, at Holiday Insights, we take great efforts to thoroughly research and document the details of each one, as completely and accurately as possible.