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Facts You Might Not Know About Locksmiths


Believe it or not, Locksmithing is an industry that is both fascinating and immense. It is constantly changing so that there's always something new to learn, whether you are a veteran or first time customer. Sure Lock & Key is always happy to share all aspects of the process of our work so that you can know what to expect and what can be done to improve your current situation. The picture we will print will be from the Locksmith's point of view. Yes, learning about locksmithing can be fun as well. Here are some interesting facts about our profession that you may find amusing.

One Of The Most Ancient Professions


When did locksmiths appear? Which came first: a locksmith or a lock? There's probably no straight answer. Just like a chicken and egg dilemma, the lock and locksmith dilemma shows us just how ancient this profession is. The first mention of locksmiths dates back to 2000 B. C. The Middle East Civilizations, Babylon and Egypt, had their first lock specialists. Lock and key technology at that time was certainly primitive. However, it was quite an innovation back then, so it didn't take much time for other civilizations to borrow it. 4000 years of continuous development gave us not only residential, commercial, and auto locksmiths, but also locksmiths for safes, and many other benefits.
locksmith repairs a door lock
locksmith repairs a door lock

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The Most Famous Locksmith In The World


Can you guess who that would be? Surprisingly, we're talking about Harry Houdini. The famous illusionist starts his career path as a locksmith. He began his locksmith apprenticeships at the age of 11. That would explain his extraordinary skills at escaping from different restraints. Also, it shows that locksmithing is a bit similar to magic. We even may say that Houdini was a top-notch specialist of lockouts and it was probably this knowledge that he mastered at such an early age that gave him the confidence to eventually become the greatest illusionist of all time.

The Oldest Known Locks


The oldest known lock was discovered by archaeologists in Nineveh (an Assyrian city mentioned in the Bible in the story of Jonah) After many tests and research, they found out that it was more than 4000 years old. The oldest lock with a key is much younger. It was about 2700 years old and interestingly was discovered in the same area. The first pin lock was invented in Ancient Egypt almost 3000 years ago. Of course, such leading-edge technology was available only to wealthy people. Unfortunately, the number of such ancient locks that have been preserved until now is low because all of them were made of wood. Only in the period of the Roman Empire did the lock manufacturers use steel. Also, that was when the first pin tumbler lock with steel springs was created.
opening a magnetic door lock
Lock upgrades were inevitable, and even now, when we have state-of-art locks and keys, there's still always something new to strive for.
opening a magnetic door lock

Locks In Early American History


In the majority of cases, first settlers didn't use locks to protect their homes. Back then, locks were expensive and hard to produce. If you lived in a small community without a person who had the required skills, to get a lock would be a whole adventure. However, people were concerned about protecting their values, and special locks for chests or lockboxes were very popular.
As you can see, we live in a time in which a local locksmith is relatively almost always near and being able to get any lock from a 24-hour locksmith service can be easily achieved in a few moments.

Conclusion


People rarely gave a second thought to locksmiths and the Locksmith and Security industry. However, this is a profession with over 4000 years of history. Undoubtedly, many fascinating things, inventions, and achievements, we admire today, took place during the last 40 centuries. During this time, prominent locksmiths impacted people's lives in a big way and reliable and knowledgeable locksmiths still do so today!
broken key
broken key

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