
Today’s society doesn’t take security as seriously as it should. Some people take their safety for granted, and this behavior has to change at the earliest for everyone to stay safe. Those who prioritize security use various technologically enhanced systems and solutions to keep their properties, possessions, and families out of harm’s way. However, the good old lock and key are still the most effective and widely used tools for securing doors. The lock-and-key combination has been around for centuries, and there are several unique facts about it.
- Collectors love them: The best locksmith Chamblee has to cater to hundreds and thousands of clients. They often run into one or two people who enjoy collecting locks and keys, particularly the old ones used in prisons or by the military. Some locks even feature puzzles. You need to solve them to open the lock.
- A symbol of status: Back in the day of the Vikings, the married women were in charge of managing the keys to the family home. Some women even wore their keys as a status symbol proudly. Others sewed their keys to their dresses to display their power and sway over their families.
- Changing codes daily: As an American, you’re familiar with Fort Knox. It stores a significant portion of the gold reserves of the United States. Naturally, it possesses some of the most technologically enhanced and virtually impenetrable locking systems. The electronic lock on the front door gets its codes changed every day.
- Deterring lock-picking: In the nineteenth century, locksmiths did everything in their power to find ways to stop thieves from picking locks. Their efforts led to new and innovative designs in locks and keys. Some of these designs are still visible in the products used by homeowners right now.
- The age of old locks: Even the best locksmith Canton found it surprising that the system of using locks is older than 4,000 years. Historians and archeologists found some of the oldest ones in ancient Egypt. They discovered one such lock in a cave believed to be 4,000 years old.
- The skill of birds: It may seem strange, but birds can pick locks too. There’s an account documented in 2014 where a parrot called Magic managed to pick its way through two padlocks affixed to its cage to escape to freedom.
7. Knots as locks: As lock manufacturers used metal to craft their products, sailors couldn’t use them when they were out at sea. Instead, they used to guard their possessions by tying knots in ropes. While they didn’t offer much in terms of protection, they did allow sailors to determine whether someone tried to tamper with the knot.
8. Key keepers of medieval times: Today, you’d probably hesitate to entrust your keys even to a professional Locksmith Chamblee. However, during the medieval age, people used to put their faith in other people to protect their keys. The townspeople entrusted the keys to their homes to a special guard.
9. Apprenticeships: If someone wants to become a proficient locksmith, he/she has to undergo an apprenticeship to learn the tricks of the trade. This process used to exist in the past, and it’s still there.
10. Artisans: In the past, locksmiths weren’t in charge of just installing locks on the doors of homes. They used to handcraft the products too. They customized each lock for each homeowner to suit their exclusive applications.
11. The rules: You won’t run into conventional keys in bulk these days, but they exist. Homeowners usually have keys to the doors of their houses and keys to their cars.
12. Locks made of wood: There was a time when locksmiths used wood instead of metal to create locks. If today’s manufacturers used wood, thieves would’ve stolen everything from every house in every corner of the world.
Endnote
As you can see, the world of a Locksmith Canton is full of stories and historical anecdotes. The list of facts doesn’t end there, either. For instance, the idea of creating duplicate keys didn’t exist until 1917. Back then, everyone believed that a key had to be unique. Also, the first lock featuring the combination system appeared in 1857. An American locksmith and businessman by the name of James Sargent created it. He established his business in 1865 called “Sargent and Greenleaf” lock manufacturing company that’s still operational.