-
100
Anchient Egyptian Keys
During Anchient Egypt (3100-332 BC), Egyptians invented and used the first known locks and keys. They were made out of wood, and used falling pins to control the movement of a security bolt, similar to how keys work today. The would insert the large key into a hole and lift up on the pins that locked the door using gravity. Before this rope and planks of wood were used. Info: http://www.historyofkeys.com/
Image: http://www.smith.edu/hsc/museum/ancient_inventions/hsc09b.htm -
300
Padlocks
Padlocks were invented in China in around 10,000 BC, and brought over to Europe (Rome at the time) sometime between 500 BC and 300 AD. Unlike Egyptian keys and locks, you simply inserted the key in rather than lifting up. Originally these were built with wood, but were an easily transported lock that was wide spread during the Dark Ages. Rome eventually upgraded them to iron and bronze. http://www.historyofkeys.com/padlocks-history/history-of-padlocks/ -
Oct 5, 1420
Giovanni de Fontana Draws Arab Combination Lock
Arabs had come up with the idea for a combination lock, puzzle/numbers must be solved to unlock, and had made prototypes, but it took a while to reach Europe. The first European to hear of these locks and draw plans for combination locks was Giovanni de Fontana, who designed a lock design that was built and not changed for over 300 years, when it was modified with more rings (see picture). http://www.historicallocks.com/en/site/h/padlocks/padlocks-as-combination-locks/ -
Better Security
With most previous locks being easy to pick with slight alterations to another key, many lock the feeling of security in locks, until Josepg Brahmah made an "unpickable lock" known as "Chubb's lock" that would lock the lock to where no key would work on it if one tried to pick it. A, C Hobbs picked it in 1851 in only 25 minutes, but this started the push for harder to pick locks, but security never reappeared. http://gizmodo.com/in-1851-a-man-picked-two-unpickable-locks-and-changed-1698557792 -
Pin and Tumbler Lock
The most common type of lock today, the pin and tumbler lock was invented by Yale in 1861. They based it off the tumbler system the Egyptians used, but added a twist. Spings held the pistons down, and and the plug, a metal cylender with holes in it, must be twisted to unlock the door. While harder to pick, it is still possible and fairly easy to pick now days. http://www.yalelock.com/en/yale/com/about-yale/history-of-yale/brand-1/
