Velcro
Velcro is a brandname and trademark owned by the Velcro Companies for hook-and-loop fasteners.[1] Hook-and-loop fasteners have a "hook" side, which is a piece of fabric covered with tiny hooks, and a "loop" side, which is covered with even smaller and "hairier" loops. When the two sides are pressed together, the hooks catch in the loops and hold the pieces together.[2] When they are separated, they make a special "ripping" sound.
Creation
The person who invented hook-and-loop was a scientist named George de Mestral.[3][4][5][6] During a hunting vacation in Switzerland, de Mestral came home one evening and tried to remove the burrs stuck to his dog's fur. He was very surprised to see how hard the burrs were to remove. That night he studied the burrs under a microscope and noticed that each burr was covered with hundreds of small hooks acting like grasping hands.[6] De Mestral decided that this burr could be made to close fabric instead of buttons and zippers.[6] By copying the hook pattern hat he saw on burrs, he made hook-and-loop!
Vocabulary
George de Mestral created the Velcro trademark by combining the French words for velvet (velour) and hook (crochet).[6]
References
- ↑ "Velcro." The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.
- ↑ "Velcro". Merriam Webster. Retrieved on 10 May 2008.
- ↑ Stephens, Thomas (2007-01-04). "How a Swiss invention hooked the world". swissinfo.ch. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
- ↑ McSweeney, Thomas J.; Raha, Stephanie (1999). Better to Light One Candle: The Christophers' Three Minutes a Day: Millennial Edition. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-8264-1162-4. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
- ↑ "About Us:History". Velcro.uk. Archived from the original on 2008-06-14. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Fulbright, Jeannie (2004). Exploring Creation with Botany. 1106 Meridian Plaza, Suite 220: Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. ISBN 978-1-932012-49-1.
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Other websites
- Velcro Official US company website
- closeup of Velcro hooks and loops
- VELCRO USA INC. Celebrates 50TH Archived 2008-03-19 at the Wayback Machine
- VELCRO Patent Archived 2012-06-30 at the Wayback Machine - from Google Patents Anniversary
- Adhesives Guide by Velcro USA Archived 2011-07-17 at the Wayback Machine - Adhesive Guide by Velcro USA