Gideon Sundback

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Gideon Sundback (1880 - 1954) was a Canadian (Swedish-born) inventor. He invented the modern zipper in 1914. His invention was based upon the previous work of other engineers such as Elias Howe, Max Wolff, and Whitcomb Judson (whose daughter Sundback married). The patent was issued in 1917 under the name separable fastener. The name zipper was created by B.F. Goodrich who used the device on their new boots. Initially boots and tobacco pouches were the primary use for zippers and it took another twenty years before they caught on to the fashion industry.