History of locks
Securing your property has been a concern for people throughout the world for as long as we can remember. Beyond hiding objects that are valuable or sentimental to someone or constantly guarding them, the most frequently used option is to secure them with a lockable device. Early solutions to securing valuables included knots to either detect, like the Thief knot, or hamper a thieves attempts, like the Gordian Knot.
Locks and keys made from wood were in use as long as 4,000 years ago. The first known lock we can trace back to is a key and pin lock. The lock was fixed in place by being strung on a length of rope hanging out of a hole in the door. A piece of wood with a hole drilled through was known as the cylinder, its axis is the key, the length of the cylinder being the main factor. The key was inserted into the hole within the door and the bolt is pushed the correct distance, locking or unlocking the door in place. To lock the door the rope was pulled to extract the key cylinder, simultaneously pulling the bolt closed (locked). This type of lock can still be found being used in certain parts of the world. A disadvantage of this lock is that a vandal can push the rope into the hole creating a problem — an ancient equivalent of putting glue into a lock.
Many improvements in pin locks included increasing the number of pins which increased the level of security, and changing the orientation of the pins to allow the key to provide the unlocking factor instead of the rope. This establishment created the principles of the modern pin tumbler lock used everywhere today.
The next development in the history of locks was a warded lock. The principles can still be found to an extent in modern day locks when the security required is not too high and cost is a factor. This was the first lock design to have a key that would have been recognisable to a person. Lock puzzles were put in place to obscure the lock mechanism or even provide a non-functioning lock for the thief to waste crucial time on.