Whether they’re made of leather or metal, tape measures have been used by people for a long time. The first spring-loaded metal tape measure was invented and patented in England in 1829. Alvin Fellows of New Haven, Connecticut, made improvements to that design, including the locking mechanism that stops the tape from retracting until you want it to, and received a patent on July 14, 1868. This date is now celebrated by tape measure enthusiasts like myself as National Tape Measure Day.

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