The Invention
Velcro was based on Mother Nature's creation, but was further developed by George de Mestral (See the section on George de Mestral's life when you scroll over "The Invention" section). Velcro has had a huge impact on our lives since 1957, which shows it's a fairly modern invention. Before Velcro it was brooches, buttons, belt buckles and zippers. The real invention happened when Mestral and his dog took a hike in the woods in 1948.When they arrived home, they were covered in burrs. Mestral became curious about why the burrs stuck to his clothing, so he looked at one under a microscope. He noticed that the burrs had tiny hooks that linked onto the fabric of his pants. He then had the brilliant idea for Velcro.