It Wasn't New
~ Beverly J. Koski
Walter Hunt, an American mechanic and some
time inventor was agonizing over a way to repay
a $ 15 debt to a friend. It was his habit and hobby
to solve problems; hence, he had invented a fire
engine gong, a forest saw, a machine to spin flax
and a fountain pen. He spent 3 hours twisting an
8 inch length of wire with the aim of inventing
something new. Sure enough his efforts were
rewarded and he found himself looking at what
he called, a "dress pin". His piece of brass wire
ended up being coiled at the centre and shielded
at one end.
The New Yorker patented his invention on
April 10, 1849 and shortly sold the rights to its
manufacture for $ 400. He was happy to repay the
$ 15 to his friend and keep the remaining $ 385
for himself - a sizable piece of cash in those days.
Someone else proceeded to
earn millions from this simple
device, better known as the
safety pin.
But what exactly had Hunt
stumbled upon? Actually,
he had re-tooled a very old
mechanism which dated back to the Mycenaens
of the 14th century BC. It became known as
a fibula (plural fibulae) and it was used in the
same manner as today: i.e. to fasten pieces of a
garment together. Recently, I was able to view 2
fibulae in a glass display case at the Museum of
Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara, Turkey. These
pieces were very decorative, made of bronze and
measured 5.0 to 6.5 cm. (approx. 2.5 inches).
They had been recovered at Gordion and dated
from the end of the 8th century BC.
Thus we build upon the past; is anything really
new? Perhaps just lost for a long while, or a short
while...
~ Beverly J. Koski, Duncan, B.C. December, 2008
