A visual history of the safety pin

(museumofeverydaylife.org)

32 points | by andsoitis 7 months ago ago

10 comments

  • awelxtr 7 months ago ago

    In Castilian Spanish it's called "imperdible" which means unlossable/unmissable, which results in the ironic occurrence of finding a lost one or losing yours.

  • mikewarot 7 months ago ago

    I have a huge (4 inches/10 cm) brass safety pin with a number stamped into it. Apparently these were once used to tag bags of laundry in the military and industry.

  • lifestyleguru 7 months ago ago

    Its history is impressive but I used safety pin maybe few times in my lifetime and fail to see a single practical use nowadays, opposite to e.g. matchstick.

    • thomc 7 months ago ago

      I have used them for the following:

      * Holding a bandage in place

      * Temporary clothing fix (broken fly, broken strap)

      * Keeping hotel curtains together to block out light

      * Popping a SIM tray

      * Pinning something inside clothing when travelling in risky areas

      It is rare to need one, but they take up no space so I pop one in my bag.*

  • dvh 7 months ago ago

    "zicherka" (how is it called in your country?)

    • bandie91 7 months ago ago

      Hungarian:

      "zicherájsz tű" [zixɛra:ʲs ty:] < "zicher" (Deutsch) + "tű" in Hungarian meaning "pin"

      "biztostű" [bistoʃ ty:] in de-germanized form and "biztosító tű" [bistoʃi:to: ty:] in more formal register.

    • cue_the_strings 7 months ago ago

      "ziherica" or "zihernaldla" from german sicherheitsnadel. We also have a direct translation of 'safety pin'.

    • jqr- 7 months ago ago

      "Seguro" in Mexico. It also means "certain", "safe", or "sure".

    • blitzar 7 months ago ago

      "safety pin"

  • Alex_001 7 months ago ago

    [dead]