Birthday of the Pin

June 13 — an unofficial but very practical holiday: the Birthday of the Pin. Who invented 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 joins, 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 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 (balls 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 Soviet Union, pins were a shortage, bought in pharmacies.

Types of pins: from tailor's to cartographic

Tailor's pins with colored heads (for fabric). English pins (closed, with a spring) — for temporary joining 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, maps, corkboards. In every department there was a "thorn" (a pin on which receipts were hung). Teachers pinned announcements in schools. Today, office pins are being replaced by magnets, but they are still indispensable for temporary fixation.

How to make a pin: technology

The modern pin is made of steel wire. First, the wire is straightened, then cold heading forms the head (a ball or a flat part). Then the desired length is cut, the end is sharpened. Then it is bent (for English pins, a spring is made). It is coated with nickel or brass to prevent rust. A colored head (plastic) is added. All this in a second! Production capacity — thousands of pins per minute.

Pin in culture and superstitions

The pin is used in magic: pinning clothes to ward off evil eye. An English pin on the lapel is protection. It is forbidden to give pins — to a quarrel. Finding a pin on the road — to good luck. Spitting on a pin — to misfortune. In literature: a pin in detective stories (Agatha Christie). In cinema: "Pin for the Tie" (comedy). Songs: "Pin" by the group "Secret".

How to celebrate the birthday of the pin

Buy a box of new pins. Count the old ones, throw out the rusty ones. Sew a button using a pin for fixation. Make a craft: a pin tree (stick pins into a Styrofoam ball). Draw a pin on a card. Give a friend a set of office pins. Do not stick it in your finger!

The pin is a small but great thing. It joins pieces of fabric, paper, life. On its birthday, just say: "Thank you, pin, for being there." And pin it somewhere, but carefully.

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