Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Fun Facts

1. George G. Blaisdell invented the Zippo lighter in 1932 in Bradford, Pennsylvania.
2. Zippo was given its name as a derivative of the word "zipper". Zippo inventor, George G. Blaisdell, liked the sound of the word "zipper", which had been patented in nearby Meadville, Pennsylvania.
3. The original price for a Zippo was $1.95.
4. Zippo started engraving initials and attaching metal insignias on lighters in 1935.
5. The first patent for the Zippo windproof lighter was granted March 3rd, 1936. Patent Number 2032695.
6. The first corporate logo decorated 500 lighters in 1936 for Zippo's corss-town Bradford neighbor, Kendall Refining Company.
7. Zippo ran its first national advertisement in Esquire magazine in December of 1937.
8. Between 1934 and 1940 Zippo sold more then 300,000 lighters through the use of punchboard advertising. Considered a game of chance, punchboards were ruled illegal in 1940.
9. Since 1932 Zippo lighters have been manufactured in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The location is stamped on the bottom of every lighter. Also, from 1949-2001, lighters made by Zippo Canada were stamped with the Niagara Falls, Ontario location.
10. Since 1932 Zippo has produced over 400 million windproof lighters. Zippo celebrated the production of the 400th million lighter on September 3rd of 2003.
11. Zippo produces about 12 million lighters a year.
12. In the late 1950s, a Zippo lighter was removed from the belly of a fish. The Zippo lit the first time after removal.
13. A regular size Zippo weighs 2.05 oz. A slim Zippo weighs 1.50 oz.
14. There are 15 lighter collecting clubs around the world: 5 in the USA, 2 in England, and 1 in Austria, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Japan, South Africa, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
15. 21% of the people who own Zippo lighters are collectors.

Labels: Fact

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