The Zippo Lighter: Eternal Flame

A small metal box with a hinged lid, the Zippo lighter might be cold to the touch, but it produces instant heat with the flick of a finger. Even while cigarettes have fallen out of fashion and favour, the Zippo remains revered as an art deco design classic, its flame burning steadily whatever the weather. 

one hand

Early models of cigarette lighters were unreliable and difficult to use, even with two hands. George G. Blaisdell was working for the family machinery company in Bradford, Pennsylvania in 1932, when he observed a friend struggle to light a cigarette. Blaisdell applied his engineering skills to design a new lighter, which could be operated with one hand. He named the lighter Zippo, from ‘zipper’ (zip fastener), a name he felt represented the modern era.

Wind-proof

Initially made of brass, the Zippo lighter consisted of a flint wheel and a small flint to create a spark. Refillable lighter fluid dampened a wick that was ignited and produced a flame. Blaisdell improved the chimney(the neck of the lighter) by drilling small holes in it, and designed its lid so that it could be used as a wind shield. He founded the Zippo Manufacturing Company during the Great Depression, and the first Zippos appeared in 1933. They cost $1.95 each and came with a lifetime guarantee. The slogan the company used was: “It works or we fix it free.”

Wartime

In 1941, the US entered World War Two and Zippo focused its supply on the US military. It switched the lighter casing to a black crackle steel finish, and millions of Zippos were carried across the world into battle. Later, when US forces fought in the Vietnam War, they personalised their lighters with engraved slogans and stuck-on icons. Many of these are now collectors’ items.

Music

Blaisdell died in 1978, but the family-owned Zippo factory continues production in Bradford. It has now produced more than six hundred million lighters. The original Zippo lighter, designed by George Blaisdell, is displayed in the museum here. Featured in numerous films and adverts, the Zippo lighter has such a unique ‘click’ when it is opened, ignited and closed, that it has been sampled on music and film tracks, including It’s Probably Me by Sting and Eric Clapton in 1994.