00:00 Zippers were invented relatively recently, about 100 years ago, and before that, buttons were the primary way to fasten clothing.

05:20 Zippers were invented relatively recently, about 100 years ago, and before that, buttons were the primary way to fasten clothing.

10:35 The Universal Fastener Company was launched to manufacture and sell the Judson security fastener, which debuted at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair but was unreliable, expensive, and not quite like the zippers we know today, until Gideon Sundbeck came along.

16:14 Gideon Sundbeck, an electrical engineer, is credited with creating the modern zipper by getting rid of the hooks and adding teeth, leading to the company changing its name to the hookless fastener company.

21:33 Zippers were initially used for boots, military gear, tobacco pouches, and money belts before the fashion industry embraced them, but it took about 20 years for zippers to catch on because they were viewed as improper for women and were not very reliable or affordable at the time.

26:52 Zippers were initially used for children's clothing to make it easier for kids to dress themselves, and eventually made their way into men's trousers and women's clothing, including jeans, due to the desire for more modesty and convenience.

32:07 Zippers are an important component of bags and clothing, and having a well-made zipper is crucial because once it breaks, the item becomes useless.

37:23 Zippers work by connecting teeth that are offset and have hooks on the end, which are then manipulated by the slide to fit into hollows and lock into place, providing stability and security.

42:26 Zippers can be fixed by using needle nose pliers to pinch the slide mechanism, and can also be unstuck by using graphite pencil, bar soap, or Windex, and there are different types of zippers such as locking slides and magnetic zippers, and they can be made of various materials including metal and plastic.

47:19 YKK is a Japanese company that dominates the zipper industry, making 5 million zippers a day and controlling their supply chain, and they started to take over the market in the 1970s, but have faced competition from Chinese firms in recent years.

52:33 Zippers can cause injuries, including getting genitals caught in them, but the number one cause of penile injury is actually getting smashed by a toilet lid.