April 29, 2021 – International Guitar Month | National Zipper Day

You’ve Probably Heard Of BB King, But Do You Know About The Love Of His Life, Lucille?

Welcome to April 29, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate blazing hot guitars and handy notions. 

If you’re a fan of Blues music then you certainly know about BB King. And you may have even heard of his true love: Lucille. But she wasn’t a wife or a girlfriend. Lucille was his trademark black Gibson guitar. So what’s the story behind the name? In 1949, a fire broke out at the Arkansas club where King was playing. Two men had been fighting and knocked over a kerosene heater, setting the club ablaze. After getting to safety, BB realized he’d left his guitar inside and ran back to get it. He found out later that the men had been fighting over a woman named Lucille and he bestowed his guitar with the name. April is International Guitar Month, so maybe it’s time to name your favorite instrument. It’s also a good time to spin some groovy tunes. 

When you take a look at your pants, you may overlook an invention that took several years to perfect.   The first attempt at making a zipper came from the inventor of the sewing machine, Elias Howe. In 1851, he received a patent for the Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure. However, Elias never marketed his invention, so he missed out on receiving recognition. But in 1906, the Universal Fastener Company hired Gideon Sundback, a Swedish American electrical engineer. He was highly skilled and known for his devotion to the company. On April 29, 1913, he was granted a patent for the modern zipper, which he called the Separable Fastener. Today we celebrate National Zipper Day for this handy notion that zips up everything from pants to purses. 

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day.


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