Locks have been used for thousands of years – initially being fashioned from rudimentary rope, and evolving through the centuries to marvels like modern biometric lock technology. In this blog entry, the lock hardware experts here at SOS Locksmith will detail 5 fascinating locks from history.
Pin Tumbler Locks
The oldest rock found by archeologists is from around the year 4000 B.C. It was found in the ruins of an Assyrian palace, and was made from wood. Like today’s pin tumbler locks, this lock contained pins of different lengths that prevented the door from opening – and which would be lifted when a key was inserted. It can be considered an ancient model of the contemporary pin tumbler lock invented by Linus Yale Sr. in the year 1843, and enhanced by his son Linus Yale Jr. in 1861. The Yale cylinder pin tumbler lock was then updated by the company Schlage to a model featuring push-locks.
Sliding Bolt Locks
Used by the Greeks around the year 1000 B.CThese locks utilized a double notched metal key that fit inside the door and into he’s on a wooden bolt, allowing the bolt to be slid open. This is considered an ancestor of today’s traditional deadbolt lock.
Warded Locks
These locks, mostly being spawned in the Middle Ages, were designed with a series of circular platelike obstructions that secured the lock mechanism. When a key with matching notches was placed in the keyhole, the bolt would unlock. Warded locks required skilled metalworkers and mechanical experts, and were the most complex locks of their day – eventually leading to the development of a short-notched skeleton key, the ancestor of today’s master keys.
Safety Locks
These locks were invented in 1784 by the Englishman Joseph Bramah, and were designed with a cylindrical key and keyhole, as well as a series of variously lengthed notches. It would rotate and open the bolt when the notches aligned to the wafer. The original safety lock created by Brahma had 8 wafers that would allow for around 494 million different combinations, making it virtually unpickable until it was picked at the American Exhibition of 1851 by the master locksmith Alfred C. Hobbs.
Combination Locks
Rotary combination locks were invented by Linus Yale Jr. for the Tiffany jewelry company in New York City. These locks utilized three round disks that had to be aligned in order for the lock topen. These locks only unlock when the disks are aligned by turning the lock dial to left or right according to various numbers – usually with a code that requires the dial to be turned to the right, then left, then right again.
