April 16, 2018

17 Awesome All-American Inventions for DIYers

KLEIN TOOLS: BEGAN WITH HALF A PAIR OF PLIERS

In 1857, a telegraph lineman entered Mathias Klein’s shop in downtown Chicago with one-half of a side-cutting pliers and asked Mr. Klein to forge him a new half. That half was so good that the lineman returned looking for a replacement for the other half, and the first Klein lineman’s pliers was born.

The Klein Company profited from being one of the few forges to survive the Great Chicago Fire. The company also grew along with the electrical and telecommunication industries, adding more than 100 varieties of pliers.

But the original lineman’s pliers was so popular that generations of electricians called their pliers simply ‘Kleins.’ Klein Tools Inc. is going strong, still owned and managed by members of the Klein family.

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