Birthday of the Pin June 13th is an unofficial but very practical holiday: the Birthday of the Pin. Who came up with it is unknown. Perhaps seamstresses, tailors, or inventors. But a fact: the pin is one of the most brilliant and unobtrusive inventions of humanity. It fastens, fixes, saves clothing, repairs mechanisms, and even serves as a screwdriver in emergency situations. On this day, it is worth taking out a box of pins, counting them, and saying thank you to the unknown blacksmith who bent a wire 2000 years ago. History: from ancient fibulae to the English pin The precursor of the pin was the fibula, which ancient Greeks and Romans used to fasten cloaks. It was a bronze or iron structure resembling the English pin but with a spring. In the Middle Ages, "straight pins" appeared — a piece of wire with a pointed end that was inserted into fabric. In the 14th century, Europe began to make pins with heads (a ball at the end) to avoid pricking fingers. Mass production was established in England in the 19th century. The symbol "English pin" still denotes quality. In the USSR, pins were a shortage, and they were bought in pharmacies. Types of pins: from tailor's to cartographic Tailor's pins with a colored head (for fabric). English pins (closed, with a spring) — for temporary fastening of paper, fabric. Cartographic pins (office) — with a flat head, to pin maps to a board. Decorative pins for brooches. Pins for special effects (in pyrotechnics). Medical pins (for securing bandages). There are invisible pins (with a transparent head). In 2026, pins with built-in LEDs are being produced. Office pin: a symbol of the Soviet office An office pin with a plastic head is nostalgia. It was inserted into bulletin boards, cards, cork stands. In every department, there was a "thorn" (a pin on which receipts were hung). Teachers pinned up announcements in schools. Today, office pins are being replaced by magnets, but they are still indispensable for temporary fastenin ... Read more