Gideon Sundback

Otto Fredrik Gideon Sundbäck was born in Sweden on April 24, 1880, and trained as an electrical engineer before moving to America. In 1913, while working for a fastener company, he cracked the problem that had stalled inventors for years: a reliable closure mechanism with teeth small enough to flex, strong enough to hold, and a slider that married them cleanly. The patent turned fasteners from a curiosity into an industrial standard. He died on June 21, 1954, his name largely forgotten but his device sewn into nearly everything.