CLOTHESPINS

Found in the United Kingdom and Ukraine

The clothespin for hanging up wet laundry appeared in Europe in 1809 patented by Jeremie Victor Opdebek. It was a piece of wood split in the middle forming two prongs.

In 1853, David M. Smith from Springfield, Vermont invented the modern two-piece laundry clip utilizing a small connecting wire and spring. In 1887, Solon E. Moore improved Smith’s design by adding a “coiled fulcrum” acting as a spring that held the wooden pieces together. The state of Vermont quickly became what the New York Times called “The Silicon Valley of Clothespin Manufacturing.”