188

Swede

’

s Tool

Erik Nylin from Sweden emigrated to Brooklyn, New York. Erik did a little

maintenance around his home but complained that he was constantly looking for

the right tool for the job. To make life simpler for himself and others he invented

a tool that can do a whole bunch of tasks. He even got a patent for it - United

States Patent No. 914,601 was issued to him on March 9, 1909.

Erik

‟

s tool served him as a corkscrew, can opener, pipe wrench, tack lifter,

hammer, scissor sharpener, knife sharpener, wire ripper, tongs, nut cracker, box

wrenches, file, and screwdriver. Now all he needed was a belt holster to put it in.