Topical Tens: 2nd August: Velcro

Wednesday 2 August 2017

2nd August: Velcro

On this date in 1955 Velcro was patented. Here are ten things you may not have known about Velcro.

If you've heard that Velcro was invented by NASA for the space programme, that isn't true. It was already available, but its use on space missions increased awareness of the product and contributed to its popularity. It didn't really become popular until people saw the astronauts using it in the 1960s. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's suits and sample collection bags had Velcro fastenings.
Velcro was actually invented by a Swiss engineer named Georges de Mestral. He got the idea when out walking his Dog and burdock burrs would stick to him and the dog. He was curious enough to look at the burrs under a microscope and this inspired him to work on a new kind of fastening.
It took 14 years to perfect the idea. He experimented with different materials, eventually deciding that nylon, a new material in those days, was the most suitable.
De Mestral came up with the name for his invention - a portmanteau word from the French worlds for "velvet" and "hook" - "velours" and "crochet".
The name Velcro is a brand name. The generic name for the product is "hook and loop".
There are thousands of variations on this simple idea. Velcro can be made of different materials - polyester, plastic and even steel; there can be different densities to the hooks; they can have adhesive backings or can be elastic.
De Mestral was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1999 for inventing Velcro.
Velcro wall jumping is a thing. Jeremy Bayliss and Graeme Smith of Napier, New Zealand got the idea from watching American astronauts using Velcro to attach themselves to walls during space flights. The idea of the game is that people in Velcro suits take running jumps at inflatable walls covered in Velcro and see who can get stuck the highest up. It is a popular bar activity in New Zealand.
In popular culture and science fiction, it's often suggested that Velcro couldn't possibly have been invented by the human race. In Men in Black, it is claimed to be alien technology and there is an episode of Star Trek where it's claimed that the Vulcans gifted the human race with Velcro in 1957. However, one of the Vulcans in the episode was called "Mestral" as a nod to the actual inventor.
The US Army don't use Velcro any more. It may be a quick and simple fastening but it's too noisy. If someone could come up with silent Velcro as in the 2004 film Garden State, they could well make a fortune.