Little Things That Change the World

We tend to become very excited about great events or innovations, especially those involving complicated modern devices. We are amazed by new aircraft, submarines, and rockets that fly themselves back to the earth. We marvel at the increasing power of computers. Many of these truly are stunning developments for which accolades are rightly showered on their inventors and engineers. Yet most of these elaborate inventions do not directly affect our day-to-day lives.

Our lives are, however, enriched daily by a host of seemingly simple products, often so apparently mundane in their design that we usually fail to consider the genius behind them. Yet these unsophisticated tools, often considered “little things,” end up making a huge difference in our everyday routines.

On a Roll

Consider that, before 1940, painting the walls and ceilings of a house had to be done completely by brush. Such were the labor and skill involved that many people did not do the work themselves, preferring to hire professional painters. Many today are unaware that, around 1940, a Toronto resident made a big difference with a seemingly simple innovation. Though Norman Breakey died in obscurity, his work received attention later. Fabric salesman Tom Hamilton recalled a conversation he had with Breakey in 1939, as he was researching a new invention:

He [Breakey] was a white haired gent who was full of purpose. He wanted my opinion on the best kind of fabric that offered a stiff bristly nap. I asked for what purpose, and he said “For rolling paint.” I scratched my head at that but he resolutely went on and described to me something with a handle shaped like a “7” that would hold a cardboard, fabric-covered cylinder. “If my theory is right this thing will revolutionize painting in Canada,” he said (“The Inventor From Pierson,” Heritage Explorer, VantagePoints.ca).

Breakey produced his new product on a small scale locally, but did not produce enough of these new “paint rollers” to protect his patent. As a result, other manufacturers got the idea and created their own versions—with Sherwin-Williams employee Richard Croxton Adams soon acquiring a U.S. patent. Though Breakey’s name is little known, his simple invention did indeed revolutionize the process of painting. A “little thing” contributed mightily to making people’s lives easier (“The Canadian invention that put painters on a roll,” The Toronto Star, June 28, 2022).

Zipping Forward

Consider another invention we use daily, probably never thinking about the work done to invent it or just what an enormous difference it makes in the lives of people all over the world. Consider the “zipper.”

A variety of fasteners are used in countless ways. They hold sheets of paper together, keep lids on things, keep machinery properly assembled, and are vital parts of our clothing. For centuries, people have looked for better ways to fasten things.

An American inventor named Elias Howe, who developed the first working model of a lockstitch sewing machine in the early 1800s, later worked on ways to make a fabric fastener that could be closed and opened quickly. In 1851 he developed what he called the “Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure,” but he was never able to create a reliable working model. In 1893, Chicago inventor Whitcomb Judson elaborated on this design when he invented a rather complicated zipper-like device he called a “Clasp Locker,” which was even displayed at the Chicago World’s Fair. But the device needed improvement, and one of Judson’s business associates established the Universal Fastener Company to improve the device and sell it under the name “Judson C-curity Fastener.”

This task proved to be complicated and challenging, so the company hired Gideon Sundback, a Swedish-born electrical engineer. After a great deal of work, Sundback solved the engineering problem and invented what we now know as the modern zipper, originally called the “Separable Fastener.” A patent was issued in 1917, and Sundback also invented a machine to manufacture his fastener. The name “zipper” was coined in 1924 by the B. F. Goodrich Company after it applied the fastener to its rubber galoshes (“Zipping Down History,” FashionHistoryMuseum.com, September 6, 2022).

Sundback sold the international rights for the invention to a British company, which founded a Canadian subsidiary named The Lightning Zipper Company. Sundback served as its president until his death in 1954. He established its factory at St. Catherines, Ontario, and frequently traveled there to supervise it (“Otto Frederick Gideon Sundback—Inventor of the First Modern Zipper,” IngeniumCanada.org, June 30, 2017).

Very few inventions in human history have had such an impact on day-to-day life as the humble zipper. It is used on all manner of garments, suitcases, and tents, and it boasts nearly limitless commercial and industrial applications.

Not So Small after All

Both of these inventions are easy to overlook or take for granted, as if zippers and paint rollers have always been part of life. Yet their creation required imagination, design, and perseverance through much trial and error. Resulting from that hard and creative work are two everyday devices that we now would miss immeasurably if they suddenly became unavailable—two seemingly “little things” that make almost everyone’s life simpler and better. They help to move our lives from the laborious and mundane to something easier, more pleasurable, and more satisfying.

The same can be said about the many little things that each of us can do to improve someone else’s day. A comforting smile, a kind word or greeting, a polite reaction, or a helpful act—all these contribute to improving the quality of both someone else’s day and our own. Such seemingly small actions as we interact with friends, colleagues, bosses, clients, strangers, and especially our families, contribute to peace and satisfaction for ourselves and others.

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful (Colossians 3:12–15).

Treating people politely, smiling, and showing kindness may seem like small gestures—and, in a sense, they are. But they are also powerfully impactful deeds that can make a transformative difference in a world where courtesies and gentleness are fast disappearing. In fact, they make a much greater difference than a paint roller or a zipper in bringing moments of happiness into a person’s life.

As Christians, we are called to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), so let us not neglect opportunities to provide even momentary uplifts in the lives of others. Little things do make a difference in making the world a bit better today—and a lot better tomorrow.