Gideon Sundback

Otto Frederick Gideon Sundbäck (April 24, 1880 - June 21, 1954) was a Swedish-American inventor. He made several advances in the development of the zipper between 1906 and 1914, while working for companies that later evolved into Talon, Inc. He built upon the previous work of other engineers such as Elias Howe, Max Wolff, and Whitcomb Judson. The name "zipper" was created by B.F. Goodrich who used the device on their new boots. Initially boots and tobacco pouches were the primary use for zippers and it took another twenty years before they caught on in the fashion industry. Gideon Sundback also invented the manufacturing machine for zippers. The zipper beat the button in 1937 for the usage of the "fly" in trousers.

Sundback is sometimes claimed as Canadian, as his Lightning Fastener Company, an early manufacturer of the zipper, was based in St. Catharines, Ontario. Although Sundback frequently visited the St. Catharines factory as president of the company, he was never, in fact, either a permanent resident or a citizen of Canada.

Mr. Sundback is interred in Greendale Cemetery in Meadville, PA.