Every Christmas, my parents give me a tool. One year it was a hammer, another it was a wrench. I think it is their way of reminding me that I am in fact an adult.
After quite a few years now, I have acquired a nice tool box filled with many tools that I have never used. To say I am not handy is to say that sumo wrestlers are not slim. I couldn’t even tell you the function of half of the tools I own. One year I was given a level, which I mistakenly called a balance beam. Apparently I am more familiar with gymnastics equipment than I am tools.
So it should come as no surprise that I am unfamiliar with the history of screwdrivers. However, that is going to change today. At least a little. Because, for today’s Wonder Why Wednesday, I am going to find the answer to the following question:
Who Is The Phillips Head Screwdriver Named After?
In the 1930s, the X-shaped socket head screw was invented by Henry F. Phillips, a businessman from Portland, Oregon. At the time, car makers were in need of a screw that could be efficiently used on an assembly line. Slotted screws would not hold tightly enough when met with a great deal of torque.
Phillip’s invention was rejected at first, but later accepted by the American Screw Co.. In 1936 General Motors began to use the Phillips head screw in manufacturing Cadillacs. The screw quickly took off and is still used today.
Source: Infoplease
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