George de Mestral Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: George de Mestral
OCCUPATION: Engineer, Inventor
BIRTH DATE: June 19, 1907
DEATH DATE: February 08, 1990
EDUCATION: Federal Institute of Technology
PLACE OF BIRTH: Saint-Saphorin-sur-Morges, Vaud, Switzerland
PLACE OF DEATH: Nyon, canton Vaud, Switzerland
Full Name: George de Mestral
AKA: Georges de Mestral

Best Known For

Intrigued by burrs that stuck to his clothing, in 1956, Swiss engineer George de Mestral invented the popular fastener now known as Velcro®.

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George de Mestral

APA Style

George de Mestral. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 04:21, May 19, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/george-de-mestral-9271201.

Harvard Style

George de Mestral. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/george-de-mestral-9271201 [Accessed 19 May 2013].

MLA Style

"George de Mestral." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 19 2013, 04:21 http://www.biography.com/people/george-de-mestral-9271201.

MHRA Style

"George de Mestral," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/george-de-mestral-9271201 [accessed May 19, 2013].

Chicago Style

"George de Mestral," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/george-de-mestral-9271201 (accessed May 19, 2013).

CBE/CSE Style

George de Mestral [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 19] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/george-de-mestral-9271201.

Bluebook Style

George de Mestral, http://www.biography.com/people/george-de-mestral-9271201 (last visited May 19, 2013).

AMA Style

George de Mestral. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/george-de-mestral-9271201. Accessed May 19, 2013.

Profile

Famed engineer and inventor George de Mestral was born in Saint-Saphorin-sur-Morges, Vaud, a small town bordering Lake Geneva near the city of Lausanne, Switzerland, on June 19, 1907. After becoming curious about the burrs sticking to his clothing following an outdoor excursion in 1948, and subsequently looking at the nuisance under a microscope, de Mestral realized that he could create a synthetic product that mimicked the hooks and loops. Thusly, the locking material now known as Velcro® was born in 1955. That year, after finalizing his nylon-based design, de Mestral patented the material. He later sold his rights to the Velcro® company. Velcro® has since been used by the likes of NASA and medical professionals. De Mestral died in Nyon, Switzerland, on February 8, 1990.