1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:09,960 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:10,039 --> 00:00:13,160 Speaker 1: show for those who can never know enough about history. 4 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:18,959 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Luesier, and in this episode, we're unfolding the 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: story of how a simple red pocket knife became a 6 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:28,480 Speaker 1: national symbol of Switzerland and the modern shorthand for versatility itself. 7 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:37,839 Speaker 1: The day was June twelfth, eighteen ninety seven. Swiss cutler 8 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: Karl Elsner was granted a patent for what would later 9 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: be known as the Swiss Army Knife. It may seem 10 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:48,599 Speaker 1: strange for a famously neutral country like Switzerland to be 11 00:00:48,680 --> 00:00:52,200 Speaker 1: so closely associated with a knife, but as anyone who's 12 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 1: handled one could tell you, it's much more than just 13 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 1: a blade. The knife's compact case houses all sorts of 14 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: handy gas, including a screwdriver, a can opener, and a corkscrew, 15 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:07,399 Speaker 1: so while you could wield one in combat if you 16 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 1: had to, it's really more of a tool than a weapon. 17 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:14,559 Speaker 1: For more than a century, every soldier in the Swiss 18 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 1: Army has been issued a multipurpose pocket knife, with the 19 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: overall design changing very little over the years. Soldiers in 20 00:01:22,480 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 1: the field have found plenty of uses for the knives 21 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 1: on peacekeeping and defense missions, and since military or civilian 22 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: service is compulsory for young Swiss men and voluntary for women, 23 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 1: the majority of citizens will own at least one of 24 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: the knives in their lifetime. The Swiss Army knife really 25 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 1: is one of those rare products that's impossible to separate 26 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: from its country of origin. I mean, it's right there 27 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,240 Speaker 1: in the name. But what many people don't realize is 28 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: that the first standard issue knives were actually manufactured in Germany. 29 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: By the eighteen eighties, every new recruit in the Swiss 30 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 1: this Army was given a foldable pocket knife to assist 31 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: with opening canned food and disassembling their rifles. Tens of 32 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: thousands of new knives were needed every year, and for 33 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,840 Speaker 1: a while all of them were imported from neighboring Germany. 34 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 1: The Swiss military had good relations with the famed cutlers 35 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: of Solongen aka the city of Blades, a centuries old 36 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: manufacturing hub renowned for its expertly crafted swords and knives. 37 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: At the time, there were no facilities in Switzerland that 38 00:02:33,240 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: could make a knife of comparable quality, and if there 39 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 1: had been, the price for them would have been much 40 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:43,520 Speaker 1: higher than Solongen's rate. The foreign partnership worked well for 41 00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:46,639 Speaker 1: the first several years, but by eighteen ninety the Swiss 42 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: government began to rethink its approach. For one thing, they 43 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: wanted to revamp the knife's design to make it more 44 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: versatile and durable. Because the single blade was used for 45 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: rifle disassembly, can opening air in general cutting, it tended 46 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: to become blunt or damaged fairly quickly, and while the 47 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 1: army had tried to address this problem by issuing a 48 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,679 Speaker 1: separate screwdriver to pair with the knife, they thought it'd 49 00:03:11,720 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: be more convenient if the tools could be combined into 50 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: one and maybe even throw in a few other tools 51 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:21,799 Speaker 1: while they were at it. The bladesmiths of Soloingen took 52 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: a stab at producing the new multi knives, but their 53 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:29,080 Speaker 1: early models were heavy and difficult to fold. Some Swiss 54 00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:31,800 Speaker 1: cutlers believed they could do a better job, so in 55 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety they established the Association of Swiss Master Cutlers 56 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: and began vine to secure the government contract. The Swiss 57 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 1: government recognized that it would be better for the nation's 58 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:48,040 Speaker 1: industry to produce the new knives at home. However, the 59 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: army was legally obliged to source its equipment from the 60 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 1: cheapest supplier possible, whether they be foreign or domestic. That 61 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:59,320 Speaker 1: meant that if Swiss cutlers wanted the job, they would 62 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 1: have to match the prices of their German counterparts while 63 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: still satisfying the Army's strict requirements. One of the leading 64 00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 1: figures in this ongoing effort was Carl Elsner, a successful 65 00:04:11,640 --> 00:04:16,440 Speaker 1: manufacturer of kitchen knives and surgical equipment. Working from the 66 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:20,640 Speaker 1: Army's specifications, he managed to produce a prototype that included 67 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: a blade, a screwdriver, and a can opener, all of 68 00:04:23,800 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 1: which could be folded neatly into a compact wooden handle. 69 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:32,159 Speaker 1: The only problem was the price. Elsner would have to 70 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: retool his entire factory to mass produce the knives, which 71 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: meant there was no way he could sell them for 72 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,280 Speaker 1: less than a German competitor. He wound up losing out 73 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: to a competing bid that year, but he didn't walk 74 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 1: away from the project. Instead, Elsner kept tinkering with his design, 75 00:04:50,040 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: intent on creating, if not a cheaper knife, than at 76 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:57,880 Speaker 1: least a markedly better one. By eighteen ninety one, he 77 00:04:57,920 --> 00:05:01,640 Speaker 1: had developed a lighter and more compact casing, with tools 78 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 1: attached to both sides of the handle and aluminum separators 79 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: between each one. Then to cap the whole thing off, 80 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:12,800 Speaker 1: Elsner emblazoned the handle with the Swiss coat of arms, 81 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:15,719 Speaker 1: a white cross in the center of a red shield 82 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: to clearly mark it as a product made in Switzerland. 83 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 1: Elsner's gamble on quality paid off, and he would soon 84 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,160 Speaker 1: deliver the first major supply of soldier's knives to the 85 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:31,480 Speaker 1: Swiss Army. From there, he continued to modify his design, 86 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: strengthening the housing and adding new innovative features. Finally, on 87 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:40,520 Speaker 1: June twelfth, eighteen ninety seven, he secured the patent for 88 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: the Swiss Officers and Sports Knife, the Swiss Army Knife 89 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:48,760 Speaker 1: as we know it today. It featured a revolutionary spring 90 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:52,280 Speaker 1: mechanism that allowed each tool to be quickly and easily 91 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 1: unfolded and snapped back into place. The extra space required 92 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:01,040 Speaker 1: by the springs also left room for additional times, including 93 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: a corkscrew and a second, smaller blade. Elsner's cutlery company 94 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:08,960 Speaker 1: didn't have a proper name for the first two decades 95 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:12,159 Speaker 1: of its existence, but in nineteen oh nine he dubbed 96 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:15,160 Speaker 1: it Victoria. In honor of his late mother, who had 97 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 1: always been supportive of his business. Eleven years after that, 98 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 1: the company began using stainless steel in its knives, so 99 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:26,599 Speaker 1: the name was then changed to Victoria Knox, with the 100 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:29,880 Speaker 1: added suffix in Knox being a nod to the French 101 00:06:29,920 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 1: word for stainless. As beloved as the knives were by 102 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 1: the Swiss soldiers who used them, they didn't catch on 103 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: internationally until the nineteen forties, when American and British troops 104 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:45,520 Speaker 1: first encountered them. During World War II, the multi purpose 105 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:49,400 Speaker 1: knives were prized by foreign soldiers stationed in Europe, and 106 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:52,279 Speaker 1: once the war was over, many brought the gadgets home 107 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,919 Speaker 1: to show off to their friends, But since most gis 108 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,400 Speaker 1: had a tough time pronouncing the original name, they simply 109 00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: called them Swiss Army knives, and the name stuck ever since. Today, 110 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:08,159 Speaker 1: the classic knives are still produced by the same two 111 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: Swiss companies that have always made them, Elsener's Victoria Knox 112 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 1: and their rival turned partner Venger. They now manufacture more 113 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: than thirty thousand Swiss Army knives every day, with about 114 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: fifty thousand of them going to the actual Swiss Army 115 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: each year. In addition, the handy knives are now standard 116 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 1: equipment for nearly a dozen other armies, including Germany's, and 117 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: of course they're the favorite tool of hunters, mountaineers, boy scouts, 118 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 1: general contractors, astronauts, survivalists, adventurers, and just about anyone else 119 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: with pockets. I'm gay, Blues gay, and hopefully you now 120 00:07:52,800 --> 00:07:56,480 Speaker 1: know a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 121 00:07:57,280 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: If you'd like to keep up with the show, you 122 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:02,800 Speaker 1: can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at TDI 123 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: HC Show, and if you have any comments or suggestions, 124 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 1: feel free to send them my way by writing to 125 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: This Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to kas B. 126 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 1: Bias for producing the show, and thanks to you for listening. 127 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another day 128 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: in History Class