

Cocklebur
Examining burs plucked from his pants and dog’s coat after a hike in 1948, Swiss engineer George de Mestral found their spines were tipped with tiny hooks- sparking his invention of Velcro.
With a hook-and-loop construction, that grips instantly but let’s go with a tug, Velcro is now as ubiquitous as the zipper. NASA was an early user, sending Velcro to the moon on space boots and suits- including Apollo astronaut John Young’s glove in 1972- on tabs to latch down loose items in zero gravity, and inside helmets as nose scratchers.
Source: www.nationalgeographic.com
Categories:Summer 2020 Almanac, The Cabinet Of Green Curiosities