Safety First

22

Just a random shot today.

Well, not entirely. Yesterday morning I got up and went to make the bed. The duvet had slipped and folded and refused to cooperate inside the duvet cover. I used a trick I learned from Mom; I pulled the entire thing apart and then used a safety pin to connect each corner of the duvet with the inside corner of the duvet cover.

Problem solved!

That said, have you ever marvelled at the number of things that you can use a safety pin for?

I looked the safety pin up on Wikipedia and found this:

American mechanic Walter Hunt is regarded as the inventor of the safety pin that bears resemblance to those used today. The safety pin included a clasp that covered the point and kept it from opening, and a circular twist at the bend to act as a spring and hold it in place. Charles Rowley (Birmingham, England) independently patented a similar safety pin in October 1849, although the company no longer makes these.

Hunt made the invention in order to pay off a $15 debt to a friend. He used a piece of brass wire that was about 8 inches long and made a coil in the center of the wire so it would open up when released. The clasp at one end was devised in order to shield the sharp edge from the user.

After being issued U.S. patent #6,281 on April 10, 1849, Hunt sold the patent to W. R. Grace and Company for $400 (roughly $12,000 in 2019 dollars). Using that money, Hunt then paid the $15 owed to a friend and kept the remaining amount of $385 for himself. What Hunt failed to realize is that in the years to follow, W.R. Grace and Company would make millions of dollars in profits from his invention.

Well that must have sucked.

(80/365)