National Zipper Day – April 29

April 29 is National Zipper Day. It’s time to celebrate this handy invention!

Zippers have so many every day uses, from fastening clothing to providing a closure for luggage, purses, shoes, furniture and more. 

Keep reading to learn fun ways to celebrate National Zipper Day. Plus get a list of fun facts about zippers and learn this history of the zipper!

How to celebrate National Zipper Day

Would you like to celebrate National Zipper Day in a special way? Try one of these ideas.

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• If you are a crafty type, check out these zipper craft ideas.
• Dress up a fun outfit with a zipper necklace.
• Turn zippers into more jewelry with these zipper jewelry tutorials.
• If you like sewing, invest in a zipper foot, to make attaching zippers easier.
• Engage your baby in play with a busy board featuring the zipper.
• Spread the word on social media using the hashtag #nationalzipperday.

Fun facts about zippers

Brush up on your knowledge of zippers with these fun facts. Some may surprise you!

• The two most often used ways to use zippers in the early days were for closing tobacco pouches and boots.
• The first zipper product was shown at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, but it didn’t have much success with the public.
• The YKK zipper company makes 46% of the zippers used today.
• Each year, enough zippers are made to wrap the world 50 times!
• Counterfeit zippers are big business.
• In 2002, approximately 492 people in the UK needed hospital treatment for zipper-related injuries. (ouch!)
• In 1937, several French designers started using zippers in fashion and the idea really took off.
• The US Navy purchased 10,000 zipper units for use in World War 1.
• Today, zippers are used on everything from jeans to jewelry and purses.

History of the zipper

In 1851, Elias Howe who invented the sewing machine developed an item he called an automatic continuous clothing closure. The product was a series of clasps joined with a connecting cord that ran on ribs.  The product was never marketed. 

Years later, in August of 1893, Whitcomb L. Judson from Chicago, received a patent for his “clasp locker and unlocker of shoes” which is seen by many as the first modern zipper.

His zipper was not a commercial success until a Swedish engineer named Gideon Sundback redesigned it with the teeth closer together in 1913.  The patent for the “Separable Fastener” was issued in 1917.

B.F. Goodrich called the product a “zipper” when they used it in manufacture of work galoshes. They had a copyright on the name for a while.

More April 29 national days

Have you enjoyed learning how to celebrate National Zipper Day? You’re in luck, April 29 is home to more than one national day.

Here are some more April 29 national days:

• National Zipper Day
• National Peace Rose Day
• National Shrimp Scampi Day
• World Wish Day
• Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
• International Dance Day
• Viral Video Day

For more reasons to celebrate this month, be sure to check out this list of April national days and April food days. 

Have you enjoyed learning the interesting facts about zippers for National Zipper Day? Let your friends and family know about them by sharing this post:

Pin this post for National Zipper Day for later

Would you like a reminder of this post for National Zipper Day? Just pin this image to one of your national day boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.

Plus, watch our YouTube video to learn about more April national days.

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