If You Build a Better…
Mousetrap Lighter, the world will beat a path to your door.
In 1932, George Blaisdell took a cumbersome, flimsily-built and unsightly Austrian cigarette lighter and reworked it by adding a hinged metal case. The new lighter could be operated with one hand and the chiminey design protected the flame in windy conditions. The following year, Blaisdell created the first Zippo lighter.
Charging $1.95 for his lighter, the Zippo carried an unconditional lifetime guarantee and was marketed using the using the catchphrase “It works or we fix it free TM.”
In the mid-1930’s, Kendall Refining Company ordered 500 Zippo lighters with their logo printed …read more
4 Comments