And, he said he would remain an inventor until his last breath. In 1984, he told RTS that he never made a fortune, as his patent expired in the 1970s. Velcro is a privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s, that is known for being the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fasteners. (The association with NASA later popped up in the 1997 movie Men in Black, which short-shrifts de Mestral by claiming Velcro was actually invented by aliens and adapted for Earth use.) Adidas, Puma, Reebok and many other companies that made sports equipment started using Velcro® straps in children’s shoes. JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech. Swiss television interview with Mestral in 1961 (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now But their use of the product helped in popularizing, much like it did with Teflon and Tang. George noticed its natural hook and loop quality and started making a fabric fastener on the same quality. Swiss television interview with Mestral in 1984 (in French). You will receive a verification email shortly. Myth: Velcro was invented by NASA for the space program. An Apollo-era partnership with Black & Decker to build battery-operated tools for moon exploration and sample collection led to the development of a line of consumer, medical and industrial hand-held cordless tools, including the popular Dustbuster cordless vacuum. Well, whatever he's doing, the real story is that although it's widely thought that Velcro and Teflon were invented by NASA for use in the space programme - … Due to this, Velcro’s use was initially limited to athletic gear and equipment. Four years later, in 1956, they had industrialized a manufacturing process that involved heating threads of nylon, a product developed by Dupont in 1935. This led to the filing of a further patent in 1957. For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter. More on this: Despite the image boost created through NASA’s use of Velcro, the material came in few colors and often looked quite ugly. While NASA wasn’t responsible for the material’s inception, the space agency's use of the product did lead to Velcro’s popularity in all circles of life. While each VELCRO® Brand product is built for a specific task, the principal mechanics remain the same. Luca Bruno/STF Show More Show Less 17 of 17 Velcro NASA didn't invent veclro, despite popular belief. In 1941, George de Mestral, while hunting in the Jura, with his son and dogs, noticed how the plant burdock stuck with microscopic hooks to his trousers and to the ears of one of his dogs. In fact, Velcro was already commercially available before being used by NASA. He studied a burr under a microscope only to discover that they were covered in tiny hooks, which allowed them to grab onto clothes and fur that brushed in passing. Whilst ‘Velcro brand products were used during the Apollo missions to anchor equipment for astronauts' convenience in zero gravity situations and in clothing it was not invented by NASA anymore than the Space Pen, Tang, or Teflon were. The other 95 percent is the sweat required to make it happen. Even NASA helped to boost Velcro®’s image by using it in a lot of equipment that went into space along with astronauts. Whilst ‘Velcro brand products were used during the Apollo missions to anchor equipment for astronauts' convenience in zero gravity situations and in clothing it was not invented by NASA anymore than the Space Pen, Tang, or Teflon were. Please refresh the page and try again. In 2004, Velcro made significant headway in the industry by gaining the U.S. Army as a client. Terms for Advertising. In the 1960s, Apollo astronauts used Velcro to secure all manner of devices in space for easy retrieval. In fact, Velcro was already commercially available before being used by NASA. Due to this, Velcro’s use was initially limited to athletic gear and equipment. Velcro was invented by George de Mestral a Swiss electrical engineer in 1941. Myth: Velcro was invented by NASA for the space program. Shortly after, the company Velcro SA, started producing the now familiar clingy product in Aubonne, Switzerland, on the shore of Lake Geneva. He carried his hunting trip observation around in his head for ten years before realizing it could be used as an alternative to a zip, an earlier american invention bought and perfected by a Swiss. Velcro was patented in the United States on May 13, 1958, and invented seven years earlier. Who Invented Sticky Tape Speaking from a company workshop in Aubonne at the age of 77, he said his manual engineering training was far more useful to him than his academic engineering studies. In the 1960s, Apollo astronauts used Velcro to secure all manner of devices in space for easy retrieval. Maybe he's strapping on trainers with Velcro fastenings to go for a run, or frying up some breakfast in a Teflon-coated non-stick pan. Equipment Invented by NASA. Then NASA noticed the product in a Readers Digest article, and decided to use it for the Apollo moon missions. After an internal inspection of these claims, the Army moved away from the use of Velcro to instead rely on buttons. Adidas, Puma, Reebok and many other companies that made sports equipment started using Velcro® straps in children’s shoes. Due to the simple lack of aesthetic appeal, Velcro was used only with athletic equipment. Velcro is a privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s, that is known for being the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fasteners. One afternoon, as he was taking a walk in the forest, he noticed the that burrs — the seeds of burdock thistle — stuck to his clothes and wondered how they did that. George de Mestral’s grave stone – Source: wikipedia user: DaPi. carbon dioxide filter. Velcro found a market in the aerospace industry and later in the marine and scuba industry. Since its creation on October 1, 1958 NASA's main occupation has been research and invention. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. So while many products come equipped with Velcro, they don’t advertise as being a Velcro product, just like imitator manufacturers don’t advertise their hook-and-loop materials as Velcro. This idea of inventing Velcro came to him when one day he returned after a walk from the hills and found cockleburs stuck to his clothes and his dog’s fur. In the 1950s and early 1960s, it created the revolutionary three-axis stabilization control design that enables satellites to point their antennas, instruments and solar panels with precision. But their use of the product helped in popularizing, much like it did with Teflon and Tang. By this point, the patent on the hook-and-loop technology had expired and many imitators began to crop up throughout the world. Quick fact: Velcro was not invented by NASA, and the government agency does not hold the patent for it. Then NASA noticed the product in a Readers Digest article, and decided to use it for the Apollo moon missions. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer, Velcro uses tiny hooks and loops to bind the two strips. Just think: the VELCRO® Brand solutions that keep your tablet device mounted to the wall are based on the same principles as the ones that NASA uses to keep their … Velcro also is widely thought to have been developed for the space program. Equipment Invented by NASA. Although it is a Swiss invention from the … The Velcro Companies take pains to remind the public that ‘Velcro’ is not an actual product but instead a company name—a company that makes far more than the hook-and-loop fastener so closely associated with it. And WD-40, created in 1953 by Norm Larsen, was first used by NASA … Wild burdock_© Olga Budonna | Dreamstime.com. Velcro was invented by George de Mestral a Swiss electrical engineer in 1941. NASA engineers favored VELCRO® Brand hook and loop when designing equipment for … Initially, sales were slow. Velcro was first picked up by NASA for use in spacesuits, and then made its way to scuba drivers and skiers before breaking through into the common market. Velcro was used during the Apollo missions to anchor equipment for astronauts' convenience in zero gravity situations. Related Articles. Thank you for signing up to Live Science. By patenting Velcro in 1955, he helped give his company a competitive edge over other would-be imitators, as evidenced by his company reaching the point selling more than 60 million yards of Velcro per year during de Mestral’s lifetime. After scouring the globe and failing to find anyone who could realize his invention, he contacted the the Müller family, who had a weaving business in Frick, in the Swiss canton of Aargau, not far from Basel. Hook and loop fasteners were invented by George de Mestral , a Swiss engineer who became inspired by nature when burdock burrs stuck to his dog’s fur during a walk through the Alps. No, they didn't invent it. While NASA wasn’t responsible for the material’s inception, the space agency's use of the product did lead to Velcro’s popularity in all circles of life. And they later added Velcro to the space suits and helmets of the astronauts because they find it more convenient compared to the zippers and snaps they used before. Was velcro invented by NASA? Velcro is a combination of the words 'velvet' and 'crochet. They needed a way to get small objects to stay where an astronaut put them in zero gravity (you don't really want everyting jsut floating around, especially in a spaceship with all those nice buttons to bumb into!) By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy. false. Yes, NASA has used Velcro in its missions. True or false: The hook and loop fastener Velcro was invented by NASA. Filed Under: Business & Economy, Human interest, Swiss facts Tagged With: George de Mestral inventor of Velcro, Velcro invented in Switzerland, Velcro invented in Vaud, Velcro invented in Vaud Switzerland, Velcro inventor, About us It did receive a huge boost in popularity after being used by NASA on parts of astronaut’s space suits as well as used to allow astronaut’s to store things along the walls of their space craft. Many of these were cheap and low-quality versions, which forced Velcro to begin a lifelong battle of maintaining the integrity of its product’s name to prevent it from becoming a generic term, much like aspirin, which was originally a brand name. However, soldiers disliked the material and caused much uproar through complaints over the noise it created and how the fabrics collected dust. Where Does Nylon Come From. In 1941, George de Mestral, while hunting in the Jura, with his son and dogs, noticed how the plant burdock stuck with microscopic hooks to his trousers and to the ears of one of his dogs. It hit store shelves in powdered form in 1959. Instead he said he did alright: “J’ai gagné honnêtement ma vie”. Teflon - Teflon was invented by a DuPont scientist in 1941 and used on frying pans from the 1950s; however, it has been applied by NASA to heat shields, space suits, and cargo hold liners. Tang and Velcro both saw their commercial success skyrocket because of the space connection. More from JPL. Today’s History. A swiss engineer named George de Mestral came up with it in the late 1940s. Despite of this, Velcro received a rise in popularity in the early 1960s when NASA began to use Velcro to keep their things from floating around under zero-gravity. Since its creation on October 1, 1958 NASA's main occupation has been research and invention. It did receive a huge boost in popularity after being used by NASA on parts of astronaut’s space suits as well as used to allow astronaut’s to store things along the walls of their space craft. Or Velcro, a Swiss invention from the 1940s. Velcro gained popularity in many new styles of use when, a 1984 interview between David Letterman and Velcro’s USA director of industrial sales  ended in Letterman jumping off a trampoline onto a wall while in a Velcro suit. Upon arriving back at his home, he took note of the burrs that clung to his clothes and he wondered if such an idea could be useful in commercial application. In fact, Velcro was already commercially available before being used by NASA. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Nasa space walk – Source: wikipedia_user_Soerfm. Hospitals affixed Velcro to everything from blood pressure gauges (it's on the band that nurses strap to your arm) to patient gowns. Velcro, the “zipperless zipper,” exists on a variety of products from children’s shoes to laptop bags to blood pressure gauges to airplane flotation devices. In an interview in 1961 with Swiss television (RTS) he said: invention is only 5 percent of a project. Bill Mitchell, a chemist with the General Foods Corp., invented Tang in 1957 — one year before NASA was created. Later it was popularized by the NASA astronauts and began to be used in children’s clothing and toys. © NASA later added Velcro to astronauts' space suits and helmets, finding it more convenient than the snaps and zippers that were previously used. This idea of inventing Velcro came to him when one day he returned after a walk from the hills and found cockleburs stuck to his clothes and his dog’s fur. Advertisement. Then, with the help of two friends, one a local engineer, he hatched a plan to turn the idea into reality. Foil blankets evolved from a lightweight insulator developed by NASA to protect spacecrafts and astronauts from extreme dips in temperature, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. While the term is used synonymously to describe the hook-and-loop style of binding, it’s actually the name of the company that produced the technology from which now many thousands of imitators trace their products’ origins. It did receive a huge boost in popularity after being used by NASA on parts of astronaut’s space suits as well as used to allow astronaut’s to store things along the walls of their space craft. Baby formula Despite being widely used during the space race, the hook and loop fastener was not invented by NASA. He died in Commugny, Switzerland on 8 February 1990 at the age of 82. Send us an email Initially, sales were slow. There, with the help of a senior professor, and a supplier that sent the wrong thread, he came up with the first prototype. Many sources attribute the creation of Velcro to NASA, thought this claim proves quite false. After more than eight years of research and work, he created what is known now today as Velcro, a combination of the words “velvet” and “crochet.” Made up of two strips of fabric, one covered in thousands of tiny hooks and the other with thousands of tiny loops, the materials gripped together firmly while still allowing easy release. Or Teflon, a synthetic polymer that has found widespread use as an industrial lubricant and a nonstick coating for pots and pans. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. He named his creation Velcro which (according to Wikipedia) is a portmanteau of the two French words velours (“velvet”), and crochet (“hook”). Responding to NASA requests, the company rapidly completed the design of fire-resistant Astro-VELCRO® in the early 1960s for use throughout the spacecraft and astronaut’s suits and gear. Swiss fact: VELCRO® fasteners, popularised by NASA, were invented in Switzerland 02/11/2016 By Le News In 1941, George de Mestral, while hunting in the Jura , with his son and dogs, noticed how the plant burdock stuck with microscopic hooks to … Many sources attribute the creation of Velcro to NASA, thought this claim proves quite false. But each was invented independent of the space agency. These small grooves are normally used on the surface of airplanes, in pipes to reduce friction and on yachts for racing. The hook-and-loop material became used on the Army Combat Uniform, a lighter version of their original battle attire. Shortly after, the company Velcro SA, started producing the now familiar clingy product in Aubonne, Switzerland, on the shore of Lake Geneva. Hospitals affixed Velcro to everything from blood pressure gauges (it's on the band that nurses strap to your arm) to patient gowns. (The association with NASA later popped up in the 1997 movie Men in Black, which short-shrifts de Mestral by claiming Velcro was actually invented by aliens and adapted for Earth use.) History [ edit ] Velcro, invented by de Mestral History [ edit ] Velcro, invented by de Mestral Velcro today is a registered trademark of Velcro Industry. Still, when he brought Velcro to market, most potential buyers balked — the material looked cheap and unappealing. Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store Related NASA Sites. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Georges de Mestral was born in Saint-Saphorin-sur-Morges on 19 June 1907. In 1948, Swiss engineer and amateur mountaineer George de Mestral went hiking in the woods with his dog. VELCRO® band on skis © Pavel Rodimov | Dreamstime.com. While the invention was a success, it didn’t really take off until 1960’s, when NASA’s extensive use of Velcro in space came to the public’s attention. Velcro got a huge image boost from NASA in the early 1960s when Apollo astronauts used it to secure pens, food packets and equipment they didn't want floating away. New York, In 1968, Velcro replaced shoelaces for the first time when athletic shoe manufacturer Puma introduced the world's first sneakers fastened with Velcro. Velcro, created in Switzerland in 1941 wasn't widely used until NASA's adoption of hook-and-loop fasteners in the '60s. Visit our corporate site. Tang. A patent was filed in the US in 1952. After that it became a household name and sales skyrocketed. Answer: Myth. Which existing device did NASA redesign and perfect in the 1970s for use on the first U.S. space station, Skylab? Starting in 1968 and on into the 1980s, shoe companies like Puma, Adidas and Reebok integrated Velcro straps onto children’s shoes. Setting up a business in Switzerland – a guide, How to run a Swiss business – a guide to 8 essential tasks, Guide to Switzerland’s immigration changes. Copyright © Le News Sàrl 2014-2021 / Company number: CH-550.1.129.786-5 / VAT number: CHE-193.843.357 TVA. After that it became a household name and sales skyrocketed. Maybe he's strapping on trainers with Velcro fastenings to go for a run, or frying up some breakfast in a Teflon-coated non-stick pan. All three items were used by NASA. A guide to what's happening in the Lake Geneva region and beyond. The name comes from the French words: VELours, meaning velvet or pile, and CROchet, which means hook. On Switzerland follow US on Facebook and Twitter widespread use as an industrial lubricant and a nonstick coating for and., meaning velvet or pile, and CROchet, which means hook space connection helped in,. Became a household name ] Velcro - Velcro is a Swiss engineer George. 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