Top 10 facts about locks
TODAY is Home Security May Day, so here are some facts to encourage you to lock up properly.
The earliest known locks were developed by the Ancient Egyptians around 4,000 years ago
1. The earliest known locks were developed by the Ancient Egyptians around 4,000 years ago.
2. These were made of wood. British craftsmen developed metal locks around AD900.
3. Since 2008 the Pont des Arts in Paris has had over 700,000 “love locks” attached to it by young lovers who fix padlocks to the bridge then throw the key away to symbolise their eternal love.
4. In Ancient Egypt keys were a symbol of wealth as few people could afford safes or lockable doors.
5. “Were beauty under twenty locks kept fast, Yet love breaks through and picks them all at last.” (Shakespeare, Venus And Adonis).
The escapologist Harry Houdini worked as a locksmith early in his career
Locks and keys are not made for honest fingers
In Ancient Egypt keys were a symbol of wealth as few people could afford safes or lockable doors
6. The Ceremony Of The Keys is held every night at the Tower of London as it is locked up for the night.
7. The escapologist Harry Houdini worked as a locksmith early in his career.
8. The 16th-century Russian Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich, also known as Ivan The Terrible, is said to have locked his wife in her room when he went to war.
Today is Home Security May Day
9. “Wedlock is a padlock” (17th-century English proverb and 1970s song by soul singer Laura Lee).
10. “Locks and keys are not made for honest fingers.” (German proverb).