The invention that I would like to champion today is something that nearly everyone will have in their home or at work and which has, without doubt, had a positive impact on the world. I would like to submit for discussion a simple, but perfectly designed invention – scissors.  

The origins of scissors can be traced back as far as 4000 BC in their most basic form, followed by a slightly improved design used in ancient Egypt around 1500 BC, as shown in some wall paintings. The Greeks and Romans further refined the design around 100 AD, creating something which looked much more like our modern equivalent, having crossed blades held together with wire. Many people believe that Leonardo da Vinci invented scissors, but they existed long before his time. However, it wasn’t until 1761 that the first mass produced steel scissors for general sale, were made by Robert Hinchcliffe in Sheffield. 

Undoubtedly, we would struggle to manage without scissors in our daily lives. There are practical scissors for cutting paper and fabric (but woe betide anyone who uses those sharp sewing scissors to cut paper, as many a sewer will testify!), kitchen ones for cutting herbs or meat, specialist ones for medical uses and safety scissors for children to craft their masterpieces. 

Different designs of scissors are used all over the world showing their versatility. For example, there are Japanese scissors called Itokiri or Kotobuki made from a single piece of steel with razor-sharp edges for the precise cutting of the delicate paper used in origami or for trimming bonsai. These scissors are often handed down within families as they are regarded as precious heirlooms.  

Other variations include Duckbill Scissors, which have a larger rounded blade on one side which sits under a bottom layer of fabric acting as a shield, allowing the fabric to be trimmed very close to the stitching line whilst also protecting it from accidental damage. 

The medical profession uses various types of scissors for different procedures. For example, Kelly Scissors are used for cutting bandages or sutures and Jameson Scissors for cutting delicate internal tissues during surgery. The aptly named Iris Scissors have small, fine tips used for delicate ophthalmic work. 

An honourable mention goes to the perfectly engineered ‘egg scissors’ which have a round circle as one blade which fits neatly around the pointy end of a soft-boiled egg allowing the cutting edge on the lower blade to slice the top off ready for dipping some delicious toast ‘soldiers’. 

Scissors, or shears as they were first called, are mentioned in the Bible in the books of Chronicles, Kings and Jeremiah. The Greek philosopher Plato and the writer Homer both mention the Three Fates in their respective writings. The Fates were sisters called Clotho, who spun the thread of life, and Lachesis, who measured the length of a person’s life. However, it was Atropos, the third sister, who ended the life of mortals by cutting the ‘thread of life’. An interesting aside, if you’d like to impress your friends, is that her name is the source of the word ‘atrophy’, meaning to waste away!  

Following on with this theme of cutting life short, in Shakespeare’s play ‘King John’, the King ponders if he can use his status to end a life as he plans a dark deed with his advisor Pembroke -  

“Think you I hold the shears of destiny? Have I commandment on the pulse of life?”  

And in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ the character of Thisbe makes a symbolic reference to the death of Pyramus, her lover, saying of the Fates -  

“You have shore with shears his thread of silk”.  

In folklore, superstition says you should never give a pair of scissors as a gift as this will cut the ties of friendship between you. However, bad luck can be averted by taping a coin to the scissors which is then handed back to the giver when the gift is unwrapped. Folklore also encouraged heavily pregnant mothers to place a pair of scissors (hopefully closed!) under their pillow to encourage the onset of labour and the ‘cutting of the baby’s cord’. 

And who can forget that childhood game ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’ in which two people decide on an outcome by making a visual sign of their chosen element using the assertion that rock covers paper, scissors cuts paper and rock blunts scissors. This enduring game has been referenced in numerous TV shows ranging from an early series of Thunderbirds to more modern shows such as The Office, Friends and The Big Bang Theory. It has been employed in films such as The Hunger Games, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Simpsons Movie. Most recently it was used in the popular (fictional) Squid Games series although the original playful premise is shifted rather alarmingly as the loser of each game meets a rather violent death.  

All in all, we cannot escape the ubiquitous nature of the humble pair of scissors from home usage to references in literature, folklore and film. Whilst the basic design has been developed and refined for specific uses, they are still always identifiable as a pair of scissors. I would suggest that most uses are positive however there is a minimal negative impact if they are sometimes used inappropriately or without due care and attention to safety. 

To conclude, I humbly submit that scissors, in their many forms, are one of the world’s greatest inventions, widely used by all manner of people and professions and across all cultures and countries, whilst remaining true to their simple and wholly effective design for the tasks they are required to perform.  

For me, they truly are a cut above other inventions - I rest my case! 

(As a postscript, a quick count of the scissors in my own home is around seven pairs - two in the kitchen, four for sewing (!!) and some nail scissors - how many do you have?) 

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