Famous Locks Throughout History
Locks have been used throughout human history, with evidence of their use all around the world in a number of civilisations. Some of the earliest known locking solutions were locking knots, such as the Thief Knot and the Gordian Knot. However, the pin lock was the first lock that was similar to the locks (Hangschlösser) of today, using a wooden cylinder that was strung on a rope hanging from a hole in a door.
There was also extensive use of padlock style devices in a number of places, the first of which are thought to come from the Roman Era between 500 BC to 300 AD. However, while the first actual evidence of a padlock is a device from 850 AD, historians think they were in widespread use much before this time. Other important locks that have been used throughout human history include warded locks from China and Polhem locks from Scandinavia.
The warded lock was invented in China, although historians are unsure of the era where it originated from. However, what they do know is that it spread to Europe in the Middle Ages, where it became well known throughout the entire European region. The warded lock is still used in modern times, due to the fact that the security required is very cost effective. The warded lock has become one of the most recognisable lock designs in the Western world. Perhaps the most well recognised lock of them all however, is the humble padlock. The padlock is very popular for a number of reasons, including its size, portability, and ease of manufacture.
In the middle of the 19th century, Scandinavian padlocks were introduced to America, and also became popular in other parts of the world. These locks used a stack of rotating disks with a central cutout, together with a key blade mechanism that used rotating notches. Most of the advances in padlock design since this time have been due to improvements in machining metal. Some of the major improvements to locks in the last two centuries include the invention of the pin tumbler lock in 1848, the modern combination lock in 1862, and the laminated steel padlock in 1924. Locks are widely used throughout the world, and the mechanisms that support them will continue to be developed and improved in future years.