Gideon Sundback

Gideon Sundback (1880 – 1954) was a Canadian (Swedish-born) inventor. He invented the modern zipper in 1914. 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.