March 18, 1931: Schick Hits The Fans

Women love to go cheek to cheek with a well shaved man. Next time I get to cuddle up with someone soft and silky, I'll say a silent prayer to Jacob Schick.

1931: The first practical, electric shavers go on sale.

The gizmos were the brainchild of Jacob Schick.

After retiring from the Army in 1910, Schick explored for gold in Alaska and British Columbia. He liked the adventure but hated shaving in the 40-below weather.

When he broke his ankle and had to stay in camp to recuperate, Schick set his mind to devising a more comfortable way to shave. He devised rough plans, so to speak, for a shaving head at the end of a flexible cable that was powered by an external motor.

With exquisite timing, he put his first electric shavers on the market in 1929, just in time for the stock market collapse and ensuing Great Depression.

Business was so bad that the Schicks had to mortgage their home to get money to keep the company going. But Schick figured out how to make his product a success by making it handy.

Heput a small electric motor inside the same unit as the shaving head. The entire apparatus was encased in sleek, black bakelite and fit comfortably in your hand. An electric appliance cord supplied power to the motor, which had to be kick-started by a turn-wheel switch on the unit.

Schick set up a factory in Stamford, Connecticut. The new model went on sale in New York City on March 18, 1931.

Schick got rich and retired to Canada. But his lingering health problems caught up with him, and he died in 1937. He said the lifespan of a man who shaved correctly every day would be 120 — he lived less than half that time.

via March 18, 1931: The Schick Hits the Fans | This Day In Tech | Wired.com.