Zippo history

That first Zippo pocket lighter, produced in 1933, is on display at the Zippo/Case Museum in Bradford.

Blaisdell achieved his first big sales break in 1934 when he started selling Zippos on punchboards, two-cents-per-play gambling games popular in United States tobacco and confectionery shops, poolrooms, and cigar stands.

GET ONE OF OUR 1935 REPLICA LIGHTERS

On March 3, 1936, the United States Patent Office granted a patent for the Zippo lighter.

In December 1937 he paid $3,000 of mostly borrowed money for a full-page ad in Esquire magazine after he found that retailers shied away from products that were not advertised.

Then in 1938 the factory and offices were both moved into a former garage on Barbour Street in Bradford.

Before punchboards were outlawed in 1940, more than 300,000 Zippos were sold through this game of chance, enough for Zippo Manufacturing to achieve its first profits, modest though they were.

Zippos also began making frequent appearances in Hollywood movies—notably war movies, such as Casablanca (1942), at first but later films noir—enhancing their iconic status.

Meanwhile, wartime production peaked in 1945 when three million Zippos were made.

But soon after World War II, in 1946, Blaisdell discovered that the most frequent repairs were for worn striking wheels—wheels that had been coming from an outside supplier.

In 1947 Town and Country designs were introduced that featured images of pheasants, mallards, geese, sailboats, trout, setters, and horses.

The Zippo with a commemorative medal of the unconditional surrender of Japan, and the signature of General MacArthur, was given to all young officers trained on United StatesS. Missouri in 1949.

On August 1, 1950 Zippo was issued its second patent, number 2517191.

Located in Niagara Falls, Ontario, the company consisted of a small production facility that helped increase overall Zippo capacity, which reached 20,000 lighters a day by 1952.

In 1953, the #10 table model began to use the interior unit built for pocket lighters.

In 1954 a new building for chrome plating and fabricating, located on Congress Street in Bradford, was completed.

New corporate offices were built in 1955 next to the Barbour Street factory in Bradford.

In 1956 Zippo launched the Slim lighter, which was a major milestone.

The replica of the 25th anniversary model produced in 1957 most resembles the original, out of the six models.

In 1959, models in the New Sports Series displayed designs on both the bottom and the lid.

In 1960, the Moderne and Corinthian with their slim bases were added to the table-lighter line.

In 1962 Zippo produced its first non-lighter product.

In 1976 a commemorative bicentennial lighter hit the market, as did an in-fashion denim-like lighter.

The year 1978 marked the end of an era when Blaisdell died.

Zippo's third president was Michael Schuler, who had joined the company as controller shortly after Blaisdell's death and then was promoted to vice-president and controller in 1982.

As it turned out, Galey's stint as president was short-lived since he retired in 1986.

The company had filed for bankruptcy after a difficult period and then was bought out of bankruptcy by a limited partnership, River Associates, in 1990.

Credit for Zippo's "discovery" of the collector's and gift markets for Zippo lighters goes to the person Schuler hired in 1991 as head of sales and marketing, James Baldo.

Since the Zippo company's 60th anniversary in 1992, annual editions have been produced for Zippo collectors.

With antismoking forces gaining steam in the United States, Zippo came up in 1995 with a creative way to keep its brand strong.

Revenues for 1996 were estimated to have reached a record $150 million.

The Zippo/Case Museum opened in July 1997.

One of the grandchildren of the founder, George B. Duke, began negotiating to buy out his relatives in 1998.

2000: George B. Duke, grandson of the founder, gains control of the company.

Feeling that the firm needed to become more marketing oriented, Duke in 2001 replaced Schuler, the CEO, with Greg Booth, who had years of marketing experience with Kendall Motor Oil, Sunoco, Inc., and the Zippo subsidiary W.R. Case & Sons.

——, "Despite Rumors, Booth Says Zippo Business Is on the Up-swing," Bradford (Pa.) Era, June 6, 2003.

Schellhammer, Marcie, "Counterfeiting of Zippo Lighters in China Affecting Bradford," Bradford (Pa.) Era, August 3, 2004.

Fuller, Nicole, and Jim McKay, "Travelers Lightened of Their Lighters," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 15, 2005.

In 2009, Zippo announced plans to purchase Ronson Consumer Products Corporation, a long-time competitor in the lighter market.

In 2010 the company introduced an all-metal hand warmer, launching the Zippo Outdoor products.

In 2011 the Zippo Outdoor product selection expanded to include an emergency fire starter kit and flex neck utility lighter.

In 2012, during its 80th anniversary year, Zippo production surpassed the landmark 500 millionth lighter.

In 2013 Zippo launched a line of robust Zippo-branded camping gear and fire accessories.