His name may not be a household word, but his snappy little invention is used by people all over the world. On this day in 1845, the rubber band was patented by Stephen Perry of Messers Perry and Co., a rubber manufacturing company in London. Although none of them are pertinent to this perticular person, a search on the typo Perrr* (for Perr*) turned up four records in OhioLINK this morning. My constantly reading grandmother used to wear rubber bands on her wrist like a Gypsy so she'd always have one handy in case of a bookmarking emergency. Postal carriers in the U.K. now employ red rubber bands because they're easier to see and pick up when they fall off newspapers, magazines, and other pieces of mail. Some people do nothing with them but make a big rubber ball even bigger. Rubber bands expand when heated, contract when frozen, and eventually dry out like spandex spaghetti left stuck to the side of the pot too long. They have many functions and many fans. Happy Birthday, Rubber Band!(A pile of rubber bands, size 19, from Office Depot, posted at Wikimedia Commons.)
Carol Reid
No comments:
Post a Comment