Many people mistakenly give credit to Leonardo da Vinci for
inventing scissors, but scissors were invented many years before
him. Some believe scissors were invented in the Middle East over
3,000 years ago. The device consisted of two bronze blades
connected by a spring-like mechanism that kept the blades apart
until they were squeezed together.
A pair of scissors more
like modern scissors with a cross-blade design was developed by
the ancient Romans around 100 A.D.
Cross-blade scissors
were made by hand for hundreds of years and were not
mass-produced until 1761 when English manufacturer Robert
Hinchliffe adapted the design so it could be manufactured in a
factory. He was also the first to make scissors with steel.
Today, there are a wide
variety of scissors with specific purposes. Scissors with a
length in excess of six inches are often referred to as shears.
Children's or safety scissors have dull blades and rounded tips
to ensure their safe use in school environments. Nail scissors
were specially developed to cut fingernails and toenails. There
are also specialty scissors used by hairdressers, seamstresses,
doctors, and more.