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Zippo lighters are possibly the most famous lighters in the world. A refillable, metal lighter that is manufactured by Zippo Manufacturing Company, thousands of different designs have been produced in the seventy years since Zippo introduced their first lighter. Based in Bradford, Pennsylvania, USA, Zippo’s first lighter was a military one which was produced for certain regiments. 1932 saw the commencement of the Zippo Manufacturing Company which was founded by George G. Blaisdell. Inspired not by gu10 but by an Austrian cigarette lighter of a very similar design, the first Zippo lighter came into being in 1933.

The lighter was dubbed ‘Zippo’ as Blaisdell liked the sound of the word “zipper” and opted for the more modern sounding word “zippo”. The United States military were big fans of the Zippo lighter, and during the Second World War, Zippo lighters were made specifically for the military: Zippo “ceased production of lighters for consumer markets and dedicated all manufacturing to the U.S. military”. When it was first being made, the Zippo was made of brass but as this commodity became less available during the war, Zippo began using steel instead.