Scissors. Interesting facts from the history of common things

How old are scissors? How did they appear?
Giovanni Battista Moroni - The Tailor (Il Tagliapanni), National Gallery.
Legend says:
“Once upon a time, when nymphs frolicked in forest lakes, and sacred unicorns roamed in the thickets, the world was ruled by immortal gods. On high mountain a vast herd of rams was grazing, whose wool shone in the sun so much that people mistook this radiance for the rising of the second luminary. A certain shepherd Fersit decided to go to this mountain and see what was the reason for such a mysterious shine. After two days of travel, he came to a marvelous clearing where animals were grazing. Fersit was amazed by their beauty - after all, the sheep’s wool turned out to be pure gold! He wanted to take at least one with him so that people at home would believe such a miracle. However, even the smallest lamb he chose resisted like ten bulls, so Fersit could not budge it. The countrymen really didn’t believe a word of what the shepherd said. The offended Fersit went to his hut and did not come out for a long time, forgetting even about his herd. But one day at dawn he went out into the yard, holding in his hands two knives connected by a tight and flexible bracket. “This is what will help me prove to people that I am right,” said the shepherd and went up the mountain.
Seven sweats fell from the master while he was shearing their golden wool from the rams. But only after filling a huge bag to capacity did he return to his homeland. The people marveled at the golden wool, but not believing their eyes, they decided to climb the mountain themselves to see for themselves. But the top was empty: animals, frightened a daring act Fersita, they've gone somewhere. “Your golden sheep are not there! - people shouted to Fersit. “And if there were, how did you manage to deprive them of their fur?” And then Fersit revealed to them the secret of his knives. People were doubtful, but when the shepherd shorn an ordinary ram before their eyes, they believed. Fersit became a respected man, lived richly and happily, and from then on his knives with staples received the name scissors...”

Scissors- Wikipedia

Story scissors" Museum scissors

George Hartley.Grandmother’s Scissors/Grandma’s Scissors.
The history of scissors goes back to ancient times...
The very first scissors appeared in man’s possession not at all because he needed to somehow serve himself, but because he needed to somehow shear sheep. This happened three and a half thousand years ago; scissors then consisted of two blades connected like tweezers.
This invention, although it functioned, was not particularly successful (after all, the blades of “sheep” shears, which first appeared in Ancient Rome, did not rotate relative to the center, but simply squeezed with the hand, like a large grip for a piece of cake), and therefore our great-grandfathers used it only before the “warming wool season”, and, I think, they simply gnawed the nails on their hands for convenience. But even despite the fact that the design was very inconvenient, it existed for more than two thousand years without fundamental changes.

Vladimir Kush
And so this disgrace would have continued if the mathematician and mechanic Archimedes had not been born in Ancient Syracuse. The great Greek said: “Give me a point of support, and I will turn the whole world around!” - and invented the lever.
Around the 8th century AD in the Middle East, some artisan came up with the idea to connect two knives with a nail, and bend their handles into rings. Then the handles of the scissors began to be decorated with artistic forging and “autographs” of the blacksmiths - brands. Perhaps in those days a simple children's riddle arose: “Two rings, two ends, and in the middle a carnation”...
Scissors came to Europe a little later, around the 10th century. The oldest scissors found in Russia date back to the same period of time. This happened during archaeological excavations of the Gnezdovo burial mounds, 12 kilometers from Smolensk near the village of Gnezdovo.
Unfortunately, history has not preserved the name of the person who came up with the idea of ​​connecting two separate blades with a nail and bending the handles into a ring. After all, it is in this form that scissors for paper, for manicure, for haircuts and for many other purposes are presented today.
The instrument was given its final form by none other than Leonardo da Vinci. A drawing of a tool similar to modern scissors was found in his manuscripts.
And then, as always, the invention began to live its own life. own life: at times to improve (turning into the working tools of hairdressers and healers), and at times becoming a luxury item made of gold and silver.
Scissors were made from steel and iron (steel blades were welded onto an iron base), silver, covered with gold, and richly decorated. The imagination of the craftsmen had no limits - either a strange bird came out, its beak cutting fabric, then rings for fingers entwined vines with clusters of grapes, then suddenly they turned out not scissors, but a fairy-tale dragon, all in such intricate decorations that they interfered with its use functional device.
Gradually, more and more, in both the Eastern and Western worlds, there is a greater interest in the shape and quality of scissors. Models with thin, smooth outlines, blades, decorated with engraving and inlays are beginning to appear. This was especially facilitated by the art of calligraphy, which spread throughout the Islamic world.


Franz Xaver Simm (1853-1918)
Scissors are becoming more and more attractive from an aesthetic point of view. They received a variety of forms within general idea, were decorated with openwork carvings. At the same time, they remained functional and brought a bit of aesthetics to the routine.
In the Middle Ages, scissors became evidence of men's attention to the fair sex.
Thus, in the fourteenth century, a suitor sending a gift to his lady often included a pair of scissors in a leather case. It was in this century that scissors became a truly feminine accessory, which, with rare exceptions, they remain to this day.
And then the ideal prim Englishmen invented scissors for the ideal prim English lawns, and then the French began to cut up geese carcasses with them (conjuring their famous “froi gras”) and cut loops in “prêt-à-porter”, and then the Germans came up with giant steel scissors for helping in case of accidents on the roads (with this device you can also break glass in a car, open a jammed door, cut seat belts).
And then man began to think even more broadly and produced scissors from special ceramics, which turned out to be three times stronger than steel ones and more wear-resistant, and cut much thinner.
And then they came up with scissors, which completely ceased to look like their ancestor analogue and rather began to resemble a knife from a meat grinder (a disk with three teeth is attached to an ordinary electric drill - you can cut rubber, thick leather, linoleum and plastics at a speed of 20 meters per minute).
And then the inventor broke through “to the stars” and designed the most modern scissors, adding to them an electronic machine that reproduced on the screen clothing patterns of any style invented by fashion designers. Cutting speed - meter per second! Moreover, during this operation, the edges of the fabric burn and do not unravel - as if they had already been hemmed.

Eastman Johnson.The Scissors Grinder
The Industrial Revolution has now returned scissors to their original status as a purely functional object. Decoration has completely faded away, abandoned in favor of the linear clarity of steel. Today, scissors have been created for everyone and everything. They, like centuries ago, are irreplaceable. How simple is genius!

Orange Scissors and Hummingbird painting by artist Delilah Smith.
Egyptian theory
True, there is another theory of the origin of this wonderful object - the Egyptian one. They say that in the 16th century BC, the Egyptians were already using scissors with all their might. And there is confirmation of this - archaeological find. A specimen made of whole piece metal (not crossed blades) that served its masters in the 16th century BC.
There is a theory in both China and Eastern Europe. So, the geography of this subject is unusually wide. We will no longer be able to find out the truth. Only one fact remains interesting: be it sooner or later, but people in different corners The lands eventually came to the understanding that they could not do without scissors.
History is rich in facts, when in some area it seems that nothing more can be invented here! - but no! There will always be a person who, either by chance or with some intention, brings something new into the world. Therefore, we will not put an end to the history of scissors...

Vissarion. Breath of spring.


Vissarion.Breath of Spring.Fragment of the Painting.
Initially, all types of clothing were sewn at home, but gradually it became the work of specialists - tailors. The name "tailor's" scissors comes from the name of the profession - a tailor - a person who sews tails. The word “ports” in Russia originally meant clothing in general. Only in the 16th century did the word “dress” appear, displacing the old designation from use. Not all clothes began to be called “ports”, but only one element of men’s clothing, and the profession itself was divided into several specializations - specialists of a narrow profile appeared - fur coat makers, caftans, mittens, hat makers and even pickpockets... Of course, not everyone could afford to use tailor services. They tried to sew simple clothes at home. “It’s hard to get a caftan, but they can sew a shirt at home,” says the proverb.

KISELOVA EKATERINA Black square by Malevich Malevich Square.
In many ways, the quality of the products you sew will depend on the right choice scissors There are several types of scissors; they differ in sharpening angle, design, size and purpose. You should not use the same scissors at different stages of sewing - if you cut tracing paper with your magnificent tailor's scissors, they will become dull very quickly. For cutting loops and other small jobs, it is better to use small sewing scissors. It is useful to have a seam ripper and a knife for cutting loops on hand.
It turns out that thinning scissors as we know them today appeared relatively recently. And if the history of ordinary hairdressing scissors goes back almost a millennium (after all, back in Ancient Egypt, Queen Cleopatra’s hair was cut with quite a decent tool), then the task of thinning hair for centuries was solved only with the help of a razor.


Karen Winters. scissors-spool.
Only in the 30s of the twentieth century (just eighty years ago) the first prototypes of thinning scissors appeared in the USA, that is, scissors where one blade is cutting and the second has teeth. But by and large, these were not thinning scissors, but a “blader”. The fact is that the Americans came to the need to sharpen not only the edge of the cutting blade, but also the tops of the teeth. As a result, the master received a tool for thinning hair, but the final effect was quite difficult to predict. The fact is that when cutting, hairs could easily slide off the sharpened teeth, and it was impossible to guess how many of them would be cut at a given moment.
Only in the 50s, but already in Europe, one of the engineers proposed applying a micro-notch to the top of the teeth. Now, the master could already clearly know how much volume would be removed during the cut. And this depended on the width of the teeth and the width of the interdental space. Then a V-shaped cutout appeared at the top of the tooth. This means that all the hair that needed to be cut clearly went into such a “pocket” and was definitely cut off.


Marie Fox.rose scissors.
How to choose the best quality scissors?
First of all (since the principle of operation of scissors is based on the fact that two flat blades strongly stretch the fabric between themselves and then cut it), pay attention to the fact that there is no gap or gap between the blades. The blades themselves must be made of stainless, hardened steel - only in this case will they serve you for a long time.
The second thing you should definitely keep track of when purchasing is the screw that holds the two parts of the mechanism together. If the blades of the scissors are simply riveted together, you will not be able to “tighten” the loose fastener.
Third important detail- this is the handle. The finger rings should not be very small - otherwise you will not be able to work for a long time or you will get a callus - and they should not be very wide, this is also inconvenient.

Historical reference.
The first great-great-grandfather of modern scissors was found in ruins Ancient Egypt. They were made not from two crossed blades, as now, but from a single piece of metal. These scissors date back to the 16th century BC. e. Thirteen centuries later, scissors were in use that were more similar to modern ones: two knives were connected to each other by an arched springy metal plate. It is believed that the first scissors with intersecting blades were invented in Ancient Rome in the 1st century AD. e. However, then they forgot about scissors in Europe and did not use them until the 15th century. Therefore, Leonardo da Vinci reinvented scissors. He was a very meticulous artist, and if he wasn’t happy with something in a painting, he would simply cut off part of the canvas. That's why he made himself scissors.



Yosuke Ueno.Japanese surrealism
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Scissors. History in pictures.

Vintage scissors.

Large scissors with removable blades. Italy, 1890


.Vineyard scissors. Italy, 19th century

Tang Dynasty (618-907), 7th-9th centuries.


Iron scissors. Eastern Mediterranean, 14th century.


Italy, approx. 1550


Sugar cutters. Brussels, Munich, 17th century.

Museum exhibit. Ontario, Canada


Neoclassical. Italy (France), approx. 1820

Scissors in the shape of a stork bringing a child. England


Embroidery scissors. Romantic era, France


Candle scissors. Italy, 16th century

Cigar scissors. Italy, 1915


Scissors for cutting fruit. India, 18th century

Sheep shearing shears. Gardening scissors.

Egg scissors. France, 1930


Tinsmith's scissors. Spain, 17th century


Calligrapher's scissors. Türkiye, 18th century

Electrician's scissors

Scissors decorated with diamonds


Persian tailor's scissors, 17th century.

Medieval scissors


Steel scissors decorated with openwork carvings England 1875

Trabzon, northeastern Türkiye, 2nd century. n. e.

What do you think scissors were originally invented for? Cutting fabric, paper, cutting hair? No! They appeared in ancient times - more than 3000 years ago - and were used for shearing sheep!

At the very beginning of their existence, scissors resembled tweezers with two blades. The oldest scissors discovered by archaeologists were found in Egypt and date back to the 16th century BC.

Scissors got their shape, which is close to our usual one, in the 13th century AD, when one of the artisans who lived in the Middle East decided to connect two knives with a nail, and bent the handles into rings to make it easier to hold. It is this design, as we know, that has taken root since then. Over time, only the handles of the scissors changed, which were decorated in any way, including with the help of artistic forging.

According to archaeological finds, scissors came to Europe and Russia in the 10th century. The oldest scissors discovered in the area modern Russia, were found near Smolensk, on the Gnezdovo mounds near the village of Gnezdovo.

Over time, scissors began to be adapted for use in different types human activity: in medicine, hairdressing, manicure, etc. In addition, both “working” scissors (made of steel and iron) and scissors as luxury items (made of silver and gold) were created.


Since scissors began to represent not only a working tool, but also a luxurious accessory, they began to be considered an excellent functional gift for a woman. Therefore, they gradually became a women's accessory, with rare exceptions, which they remain to this day.

The history of scissors developed differently in each country. The French, for example, invented scissors for butchering geese, the British - for mowing lawns, the Germans - steel scissors, which were used during car accidents. Scissors for cigars, for cutting metal, thinning scissors and others were invented. In short, this useful tool continues to be indispensable for humans, just as it was several centuries ago.

Who invented scissors and when?

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History of the invention of scissors
Two ends, two rings, a stud.
It is difficult to say exactly when scissors were invented, but the earliest examples date back to the 4th century BC. e. Before this, everyone - from sheep farmers to barbers - got by with a pair of knives. Such knives, often depicted on the tombstones of ancient barbers, lasted for many centuries after scissors came into use - apparently, the conservatism of the profession affected them. The first scissors appeared in China, and soon in the Mediterranean. Were they borrowed from the Chinese or invented independently? The question is as insoluble as in the cases of gunpowder, money, sails and much more. Archaeologists have found scissors in layers of excavations from the 2nd century BC. e. The geographical spread is enormous - from Egypt to England. Scope of application: surgery, cloth production, manicure. Simultaneously with Rome, scissors appeared among the Germanic tribes. It is surprising that the ancients used to place them in the grave with the deceased. In the burials (mostly of men!), belonging not only to shepherds, but also to warriors, not only to doctors, but also to aristocrats, there are large and miniature, bronze, silver and inlaid specimens. Why did the deceased need them? To cut the hair of enemies who would be defeated by him in some otherworldly battles? Let’s say that the Germans had such a custom and could well have been transferred to the afterlife - but the Romans had nothing like that! Scissors are even found in the graves of children. A riddle that has no answer yet. Now it’s time to say the main thing: the scissors that have been discussed so far were built on a different principle than those that are known to us today. These were not two crossed blades with curved fingers and a hinge in the middle. Ancient scissors consisted of two parallel spring blades connected at one end by a semicircle or omega-shaped curve. They cut their hair without pressing a big one and index finger, and with the force of the bottom of the palm on one side - and four fingers on the other. A similar instrument existed until modern times (it is depicted in a miniature from the Utrecht Psalter of the 9th century). And such scissors are sometimes used to shear sheep today. Hinged scissors appeared in Rome, but were extremely rare there. They were used as a manicure device, and they were small in size - about 12 cm. Up to late Middle Ages These types of scissors are extremely rare. But the rise of their popularity can be dated quite accurately. In ancient times, in the English town of Avebury, megalithic structures such as the famous Stonehenge were erected. At some point, local peasants, out of superstition, began to throw giant blocks onto the ground. Their efforts were observed by a certain poor fellow. A boulder suddenly collapsed and buried him. In 1938, archaeologists dug up the skeleton of the unfortunate man, which revealed several coins from 1320-1350, a whetstone and, most importantly, hinged scissors. They decided that the rotozey was a traveling barber who paid for his curiosity. Well, in the end, it’s his own fault - but now we have the most early example new European scissors. In 1345, they are depicted on the tombstone of a certain Frau Agnes from Germany, and in 1350, scissors appear on a miniature from the manuscript of the Saxon Mirror. From the last third of the 15th century, images are already found very often. The difference between hinged scissors and spring scissors was not only in the principle of connection. The blades of the former widened in the middle and became sharper towards the end; in the latter they usually had a constant width and the ends were rounded, like a straight razor. Over the next two centuries, both types of scissors coexist and clearly compete: in the pictures in the handwritten charter of the Nuremberg tailors' guild, both appear.

Habitual things are so obvious that we rarely notice them. We don’t think at all about how they appeared in the first place. Let's take scissors for example. How old are they? One hundred? Two hundred? Two thousand?

The legend says:“A long time ago, when nymphs frolicked in forest lakes, and sacred unicorns roamed in the thickets, the world was ruled by immortal gods. On a high mountain, a vast herd of rams was grazing, whose wool shone in the sun so much that people mistook this radiance for the rising of the second luminary. A certain shepherd Fersit decided to go to this mountain and see what was the reason for such a mysterious shine. After two days of travel, he came to a marvelous clearing where animals were grazing. Fersit was amazed by their beauty - after all, the sheep’s wool turned out to be pure gold! He wanted to take at least one with him so that people at home would believe such a miracle. However, even the smallest lamb he chose resisted like ten bulls, so Fersit could not budge it. The countrymen really didn’t believe a word of what the shepherd said. The offended Fersit went to his hut and did not come out for a long time, forgetting even about his herd. But one day at dawn he went out into the yard, holding in his hands two knives connected by a tight and flexible bracket. “This is what will help me prove to people that I am right,” said the shepherd and went up the mountain.

Seven sweats fell from the master while he was shearing their golden wool from the rams. But only after filling a huge bag to capacity did he return to his homeland. The people marveled at the golden wool, but not believing their eyes, they decided to climb the mountain themselves to see for themselves. But the top turned out to be empty: the animals, frightened by Fersit’s daring act, went somewhere. “Your golden sheep are not there! - people shouted to Fersit. “And if there were, how did you manage to deprive them of their fur?” And then Fersit revealed to them the secret of his knives. People were doubtful, but when the shepherd shorn an ordinary ram before their eyes, they believed. Fersit became a respected man, lived richly and happily, and from then on his knives with staples received the name scissors...”

Egyptian theory:

True, there is another theory of the origin of this wonderful object - the Egyptian one. They say that in the 16th century BC, the Egyptians were already using scissors with all their might. And there is confirmation of this - an archaeological find. A specimen made from a single piece of metal was found in the ruins of Ancient Egypt. They were made not from two crossed blades, as now, but from a single piece of metal. These scissors date back to the 16th century BC. e.

There is a theory in both China and Eastern Europe. So, the geography of this subject is unusually wide. We will no longer be able to find out the truth. Only one fact remains interesting: be it sooner or later, but people in different parts of the world eventually came to the understanding that they could not do without scissors.

The history of scissors goes back to ancient times...Like many “ordinary” things, scissors were not created in a burst of creative inspiration by an unknown genius. They have undergone a long evolution, along with other tools designed to cut, cut and prick - an evolution of form, material and finish from the first primitive specimens, similar topics that archaeologists have found.

The very first scissors appeared in man’s possession not at all because he needed to somehow serve himself, but because he needed to somehow shear sheep. This happened three and a half thousand years ago.

Sheep shears

Ancient scissors are solid forged blades connected to each other by a spring base. Essentially, it was a large tweezers with sharpened sides. This invention, although it functioned, was not particularly successful, because the blades of the “sheep” shears, which first appeared in Ancient Rome, did not rotate relative to the center, but were simply compressed by hand, and therefore our great-grandfathers used it only before the “insulating wool season” and the nails on my hands, I think, were simply chewed for convenience. Surprisingly, over four millennia, scissors for cutting sheep wool have not undergone fundamental changes. They are still widely used today by professional shearers - when several sheep need to be sheared. On an industrial scale, special machines are used to shear sheep.

Sheep shears

The scissors would have remained like this for a long time if it weren’t for greatest discovery mathematics and mechanics Ancient Greece Archimedes. He formulated the principle of leverage by declaring: “Give me a fulcrum and I will move the world.” It was this principle that a certain Middle Eastern artisan used in the 8th century, connecting the blades not in the form of tweezers, but with the help of a nail, bending the handles into rings, and an improved design of lever-type scissors appeared - modern look cutting tool. Connected by an axis, the blades of the scissors allow you to reduce the force when cutting fabric or leather and at the same time regulate it. The fabric being cut is placed closer to the hinge and is subjected to more pressure. If only a light cut needs to be made, the fabric is placed closer to the tips of the scissors.

Iron scissors. Eastern Mediterranean, 14th century.

Scissors, Italy, ca. 1550

Unfortunately, history has not preserved the name of the person who came up with the idea of ​​connecting two separate blades with a nail and bending the handles into a ring. After all, it is in this form that scissors for paper, for manicure, for haircuts and for many other purposes are presented today.

However, then they forgot about scissors in Europe and did not use them until the 15th century. The instrument was given its final form by none other than Leonardo da Vinci. He was a very meticulous artist, and if he wasn’t happy with something in a painting, he would simply cut off part of the canvas. That's why he made himself scissors. A drawing of a tool similar to modern scissors was found in his manuscripts. And then, as always, the invention began to live its own life: from time to time it improved.

Persian tailor's scissors, 17th century

The handles of scissors began to be decorated with artistic forging and “autographs” of blacksmiths - stamps. Perhaps in those days a simple children's riddle arose: “Two rings, two ends, and in the middle there are carnations”...

Scissors came to Europe a little later, around the 10th century. The first mention of more or less modern scissors dates back to the Romanesque period and is found in the statutes of the guild of scissor makers, one of the many associations of artisans founded in that era.

Cutlery in the Royal Gardemeuble, Dresden (17th century)

The new tool was used by tanners, weavers and cutters. With the invention of printing, scissors began to be used in printing houses and in office work.

The oldest scissors found in Russia date back to the same period of time. This happened during archaeological excavations of the Gnezdovo burial mounds, 12 kilometers from Smolensk near the village of Gnezdovo.

Scissors. Iron. Length 15.5 cm. Ancient Novgorod

Tailoring production, 1 - Kremlin, 2 - Zaryadye, 3 - 4 - needles

The desire for beauty and lack of decoration, characteristic of Romanesque architecture, is reflected in the simplicity of the design of scissors of that time, which differed little from earlier examples. It was only at the end of the Romanesque period, in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, that there was greater interest in the shape and quality of scissors, which occurred partly due to the development of relations between the Mediterranean and the bordering eastern countries.

Scissors, 9th century.

Scissors from the late 13th century.

More and more, in both the Eastern and Western worlds, there is a greater interest in the shape and quality of scissors. We owe the modern, elegant shape of nail scissors to Middle Eastern culture. One jeweler received the title of the first sage for being able to come up with scissors of such a size that they fit perfectly on the nails of the shah’s beloved wife. Models with thin, smooth outlines, blades, decorated with engraving and inlays are beginning to appear.

As the art of calligraphy spread throughout the Islamic world and scissors with concave blades became a necessity, more and more elaborate designs appeared.

Calligrapher's scissors. Türkiye, 18 in

Gradually, scissors are becoming more and more attractive from an aesthetic point of view, despite the fact that, in comparison with larger objects, they provide very limited scope for imagination. They received various forms within the framework of a general idea. At the same time, they remained functional and brought a bit of aesthetics to the routine. While knives, axes and swords were rarely seen as works of art, being a symbol of masculinity and simplicity, scissors, on the contrary, became evidence of men's attention to the fair sex. Thus, in the fourteenth century, a suitor sending a gift to his lady often included a pair of scissors in a leather case. It was in this century that scissors became a truly feminine accessory, which, with rare exceptions, they remain to this day.

Silver scissors, witch on a broom, 1692, Salem, Germany

Scissors were made from steel and iron (steel blades were welded onto an iron base), silver, covered with gold, and richly decorated. The imagination of the craftsmen had no limits - either a strange bird came out, its beak cutting fabric, then rings for fingers entwined vines with clusters of grapes, then suddenly they turned out not scissors, but a fairy-tale dragon, all in such intricate decorations that they interfered with its use functional device.

It is difficult, almost impossible, to sculpt, engrave, decorate and paint them. Therefore, most often, a dark metal alloy called niello was simply applied to the ends of the blades, and the rings were decorated with openwork carvings. These scissors were very popular. While other objects, for example, weapons, shields, etc., becoming an object of art, lost their functional significance - they were rather placed in a museum or shown in parades and ceremonies than used direct purpose- scissors, even artistically transformed, still remained a convenient everyday accessory.

Jewelry. Paris. 1880-1883

Lady of Friesland.. 1887 Scissors on a chatelaine - a special chain.

Gradually, scissors acquired specialties. Some were intended for doctors, others for hairdressers, and others for furriers. There were also those that became luxury items - made of gold and silver.

Fox and grape branch, silver scissors 1884

Industrial revolutions returned scissors to their original status as purely functional objects. Decoration was completely gone, abandoned in favor of the linear clarity of steel.

Tailor's scissors 1905

The ideal prim Englishmen invented scissors for the ideal prim English lawns.

Grass scissors

The French began to use scissors in cooking to cut up Christmas geese and other things. poultry(conjuring his famous “froi gras”) and cut the loops in “prêt-à-porter”.

Poultry scissors

The Germans created giant steel shears for cutting metal in road accidents. With this device you can cut through a jammed door and open the car body.

Manual guillotine shears designed for straight cutting of sheet metal

And then man began to think even more broadly and produced scissors from special ceramics, which turned out to be three times stronger than steel ones and more wear-resistant, and cut much thinner.

And then they came up with scissors, which completely ceased to look like their ancestor analogue and rather began to resemble a knife from a meat grinder (a disk with three teeth is attached to an ordinary electric drill - you can cut rubber, thick leather, linoleum and plastics at a speed of 20 meters per minute).

Laser scissors have replaced steel scissors.

Scissors with laser sight

And then the inventor broke through “to the stars” and designed the most modern scissors, adding to them an electronic machine that reproduced on the screen clothing patterns of any style invented by fashion designers. Cutting speed - meter per second! Moreover, during this operation, the edges of the fabric burn and do not unravel - as if they had already been hemmed.

Today, scissors have been created for everyone and everything. They, like centuries ago, are irreplaceable. How simple is genius!

Ginghers, disc shears

In many ways, the quality of the products you sew will depend on the correct choice of scissors. There are several types of scissors; they differ in sharpening angle, design, size and purpose. You should not use the same scissors at different stages of sewing - if you cut tracing paper with your magnificent tailor's scissors, they will become dull very quickly. For cutting loops and other small jobs, it is better to use small sewing scissors. It is useful to have a seam ripper and a knife for cutting loops on hand.

Who is who in the world of discoveries and inventions Sitnikov Vitaly Pavlovich

Who invented scissors?

Who invented scissors?

Today, scissors are such an everyday part of our lives that we don’t even think about where they came from. And the history of their origin is very interesting. In the 8th century, some artisan came up with the idea to connect two cutting blades using a rivet rod - and so they got scissors, practically no different from modern ones. True, much earlier, back in Ancient Rome, there were so-called “sheep” shears (they used them to shear sheep, hence the name). The two blades were connected like tweezers by an arched spring plate; they did not rotate relative to the center, but were simply squeezed by hand.

Later, scissors began to be made of steel, iron (steel blades were welded onto an iron base), silver, covered with gold, and richly decorated.

Nowadays, there are many varieties of this ancient cutting tool. There are special scissors that are used to trim bushes on lawns, butcher poultry, cut cakes, shear wool from sheep, cut fabrics, and cut buttonholes.