Another item that we often take for granted was patented in 1900.

 The pushpin…

This simple invention that has completely changed the way that we organize and display information…all without recognition.

An organizational tool that was the perfect solution for its inventor – Edwin Moore.

Moore was the son of a clergyman. He grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and earned a college degree from Princeton in civil engineering.

But Moore was working as a photographer during the late 1800’s.

As a photographer, he was having trouble finding a way to secure his prints to various drying racks.

He needed to design some sort of simple and safe fastener that could securely hold paper without damaging walls or requiring a hammer.

So in 1987 he designed the pushpin, a new type of pin with a glass “handle.”

He received a patent for the pushpin in 1900, at the age of 21.

Shortly after receiving this patent, Moore rented a room and started his own cottage business with a start-up fund of $112.60.

Moore devoted each afternoon and evening to making these push pins. He devoted his morning to the pushpin that he had made the day before.

His first sale was one gross (a dozen dozens) of push-pins for a whopping $2.00.

But he eventually received an order for $1,000 worth of pushpins from a local start-up business – Eastman Kodak.

Moore quickly began advertising his “cottage business,” placing his first national advertisement in 1903. This ad appeared in “The Ladies’ Home Journal” and cost of $168.00.

 The company continued to  he grow and was incorporated on July 19, 1904, as the Moore Push-Pin Company.

Moore Push-Pin Company remained a major force in the design and sales of small items such as pushpins for over a century. .

Today pushpins can be found in schools, offices, art studios and dorm rooms across the word.

And the design of the pushpin has remained basically the same for over a century – a  sharp steel point with an easy-to-grip surface…although this surface is no longer made of glass.

This simple tool brings a sense of order to creativity and organization.

Common uses for pushpins today include…

• Attaching documents, notes and memos to bulletin boards, wall and so forth
• Connect, dispay and organize thoughts and ideas.
• Keeping up with schedules
• Pointing out locations on a mapN
• Securing posters to dorm room walls
• Setting up reminders for those of us who are beginning to notice the agony of getting older

Not to mention appearing on almost every detective show and true crime documentary…including my personal favorite – Murdoch.