A fastener before its nameSourced
An early zipper predecessor began with shoes
Whitcomb Judson’s clasp-locker was a predecessor of the modern zipper, first intended for shoes and high boots. The name zipper came into use years after his death. The familiar word was not the one he used for his invention.
The everyday name arrived after the inventor’s lifetime.
Summary / translation: Unbubly · CC BY-SA 4.0
Source and reuse details
Whitcomb L. Judson · Wikimedia contributors
Adapted, summarized and translated from the source. Adapted text is also available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Reviewed: 2026-10-05