The Inventor Extraordinaire Who Gave Us the Safety Pin: Walter Hunt

On this episode of Our American Stories, Walter Hunt never set out to become famous. He spent his life surrounded by tools, sketches, and scraps of wire, moving from one idea to the next with little thought of fortune. In 1849, short on money and eager to repay a $15 debt, he sat down at his workbench and began bending a piece of brass wire. Three hours later, the safety pin was born. Hunt sold the patent for $400 and walked away without realizing what he had created. The simple clasp he designed would go on to secure clothing, diapers, and bandages across the world. Our regular contributor, Ashley Hlebinsky, tells the story of this man whose curiosity never rested.

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