May 7 2020

Zippers: Humans’ Greatest Invention? No, But Still Good

54 min 7 movies discussed
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The zipper may be the most unsung invention we humans have ever come up with. Prior to zippers, everyone walked around like idiots with nothing but buttons to hold their clothes together. The zipper changed all that. The zipper changed everything.

AI Summary

# Stuff You Should Know: Buttons and Zippers

Josh and Chuck take you on a fascinating journey through the surprisingly complex history of how we fasten our clothes, starting with the humble button and leading up to one of the most ingenious inventions ever created: the zipper. They trace the evolution from ancient shell buttons through the accidental discovery of the zipper's distinctive sound on rubber boots, and explore how puritanical attitudes almost kept zippers off women's clothing for decades. It's a surprisingly entertaining deep dive into everyday objects that reveals just how much engineering and innovation went into something you probably never think twice about.


Movies Discussed

Altered Carbon
Altered Carbon
2018 TV-MA
★ 7.6
"have you seen Altered Carbon? I know it's not a movie. It's a good TV show, though. — Josh mentions the TV show while trying to think of movies to discuss during a tangent." — Josh
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Breakfast at Tiffany's
1961 1h 55m
★ 7.6
"that song reminded me of Breakfast at Tiffany's, that song. — Josh was reminded of the movie by a song that was playing during the conversation." — Josh
Ozark
Ozark
2017 TV-MA
★ 8.2
"I already talked about Ozarks recently, right? — Josh references the TV show as something he's already discussed on the podcast." — Josh
Seinfeld
Seinfeld
1989
★ 8.3
"the very famous Seinfeld episode when he's remarking about his button flies. — Chuck references a Seinfeld episode about button flies versus zippers as a connection to genital zipper injuries." — Chuck
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The Devil in the White City
"have you ever read Devil in the White City? I know I've asked you before, we still have it. — Josh references the book/film adaptation when discussing the 1893 Chicago World's Fair where the zipper was debuted." — Josh
The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs
1991 1h 59m
★ 8.3
"I think you had Seinfeld confused with Silence of the Lambs. — Chuck jokingly corrects Josh by comparing a famous scene to Silence of the Lambs instead of Seinfeld." — Chuck
There's Something About Mary
There's Something About Mary
1998 2h 0m
★ 6.6
"pull something about Mary moment. Hey, we'll save that for the end. — Chuck references the famous zipper scene from the movie when discussing button fly jeans." — Chuck

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