We live in the era of smart locks for homes and cars that you can control with the smartphone in your pocket. Yale, for example, has launched a special Bluetooth lock app that allows users to easily set up, manage and unlock their smart locks via a smartphone. The same lock can also be connected to a home alarm and CCTV system and it features a loud tamper sound that can effectively scare off potential burglars. The Assure Lever Lock enables homeowners to strengthen security on their interior rooms as well as any type of entry door that does not feature a deadbolt on it and ensures similar levels of protection provided by deadbolts. These smart locks can be purchased in either the touchscreen or keypad variants and they have definitely come a long way since the very first lock and key in history were invented in Ancient Babylon some six millennia ago.
As mentioned before, the first key in history was built by the Egyptians in Ancient Babylon and it was a heavy, bulky wooden key that resembled a large brush that was overall inefficient. Today, you can opt for a smart keyless lock that comes with Auto Unlock features, which means the door to your home could automatically unlock without you having to even touch a physical key. It is also possible to opt for locks and keys that feature voice integration and a series of other spectacular options we wouldn't even deem possible a few years ago, let alone in Ancient Babylon. Car locks have also come a long way since the first automobiles saw the light of day. Let's have a look at the history of home and car locks along with locksmithing, one of the oldest trades in the world.
The Romans preferred to use bronze and iron when manufacturing their locks and eventually created warded locks that had internal components requiring the use of matching keys. The warded lock was considered a locksmithing standard for around two and a half millennia and it featured complicated ornaments that were supposed to deter burglars through their complexity and sophistication.
It was not until 1778 that Robert Barron finally managed to get the patent for his tumbler lock which was improved by Jeremiah Chubb a few decades later. Chubb decided to alter Barron's original lock by placing an additional spring inside the interior mechanism, which further boosted security. The name Joseph Bramah is also worth mentioning in relation to the long and rich history of locks. In 1784, Bramah created the cylindrical lock and key and even offered a £200 bounty to anyone who would manage to pick the lock that he claimed was impenetrable. Not a single soul managed to do it for five decades. In 1848, famous Linus Yale patented the compact cylinder locks that relied on the early tumbler Egyptian lock. Combination locks soon followed once people started to store their prized possessions in banks.
The locks you can find on most residential properties, as well as commercial buildings today, are still a fine mix and version of the original Bramah and Yale models, along with combo locks and levers. Of course, the release of smart locks ushering in the next advanced generation of exquisite locks that use no physical keys is a revolutionary and historical step worth mentioning here. These locks allow users to never lock themselves out of their homes again while providing high levels of protection. Plus, you can give timed entry to guests or the cable guy/babysitter and not have to worry about rust, lock picking perils or stolen keys.
The history of car locks is, obviously, more recent, as the first vehicles that saw the light of day did not have any security locks on them. Drivers were still learning how to get the engine to start and they never left their precious items in their roofless and windowless cars to begin with. Later on, in 1911, Bosch began to build keyed ignition switches that required drivers to use a key and place it inside the switch in order to turn the vehicle on. This can be considered the turning point that further lead to the design of a theft-deterrent system, culminating with modern-day transponder keys, keyless locks and other advanced systems.
Locksmithing is one of the oldest professions in the world and historians place it back to Ancient Babylon over six millennia ago. The role of the first locksmiths gradually changed from that of skilled manufacturers of locks and keys to that of manufacturers of safes and vaults for banking institutions and the corresponding locks for them, key copy experts and, more recently security consultants that can design and implement master lock and key systems for commercial buildings. Once the mass production of locks was initiated globally, locksmithing turned into one of the most important and reputable trades.
The industrial revolution and the consumerism society that developed later made locksmiths even more important. People started looking for more safe ways to store and protect their precious belongings and the need for more advanced locks cam naturally. Original lock companies that invented the first cylinder or deadbolt locks a few centuries ago are still important players on the market today. 24/7 locksmiths that work for reputable locksmith companies use their advanced models for automotive, residential and commercial services.
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