Locks: Past and Present

| ( )CKS Irave exi"ted fur nranl tlrouL sands oI y'ears, evt'r since rnarr first rolled rocks or other types of barriers in the entrl' way of his living quaf ter-q.

Lc,cks as we know thcrn todal- are hclieved to have originated in China. sevelal thou-.and years belore Christ. Some e-ri-.ting erarnples of ancient locks still are as ,qecrlrc as heav1. locks manufar:tured in Europe in tlre l7th and l{ltlr centuries.

1'lre earliest locks are generally attributcd to N'{esopotarnia (prcsent day Iraq) and Lgypt. These arc bclieved to lravc been made approximately 1.000 r'ears ago. Early locks also have bccn found in Japan. t]re Faeroe lslands an,l in \orwa1

Story dI d Glonce

The long history of locks, from earliest use in China to our present security conscious day . a typical hardware-houseware type item, they are often purchased by the men for their utilitarian value and by the women for their good looks.

Sorne of these bcar a resemblance to the nrodern tumbler lock in that they have locking pins that arc raised by irrserting a specialll. designed rvood lever to li{t the pins into a "ncutral" position and rclease the bolt. \\-hen the lever is withdrawn, tlic pins drop into the bolt to hold it firm.

1'lre present day tumblcr lock lias "tunrblers." or pins. that are raised by. irrscrting a kev. tht'n turning the (CorLti.rr.ued on ltugc 13)