Gerald Shaw is a voracious reader. Maybe that's why he writes so well.
Travel back to 1891 where Karl Elsener was still the owner of a company that manufactures surgical equipment. It was during that time that he then learned that pocket knives supplied to the Swiss Army was manufactured from Germany. So in the eye of nationalism, he then manufactured a knife that has four important features - a cutting blade, a screw driver, a can opener and a punch and supplied it to the Swiss Army. Thus, the name Soldier’s Knife was derived.
And in 1897, an additional two functions has been added and Soldier’s Knife became the Officer’s Knife. It was also during that year that the symbolic Swiss cross was added to the body. And from then on, the knife became a legacy - not just in Karl Elsener’s family but to the whole world as well.
The Swiss knife’s earliest task was to aid soldiers in their life at the jungle. They are used to saw wood, aid in gun sighting, open canned products and cut cheese. American soldiers first saw this red-handled, multipurpose tool from German prisoners of war. And, it was after the Second World War that Swiss Knife gained worldwide attention and also the advent of a more multipurpose use. Soldiers coming home to America bought this knife as presents to their friends and family back home. From then on, the knife served as a dependable partner to various expeditions in North Pole, South Pole, Mount Everest, Amazon jungle and even to the outer space! The knife also serves as a unique present from the President to dignitaries visiting the White House.
But Karl Elsener’s creation did not rise to fame in just an instant. Through his company Victorinox, he hurdled the competitions like the army turning to Germans in mass producing the knife and a new company (Wenger) opening up, manufacturing and selling the same product. But with hard work and a cunning attitude, his company ended supplying knives for the draftees and eventually acquiring Wenger.
And today, as the world evolves, the endeared knife made a transformation of its own. In addition to the known features, the Swiss knife now has additional features of blunt-tipped children’s knife, a USB key and a “cyber tool” to fix computers. This has indeed come a long way. Same can be said to another type of knife - the bowie knife. Today, you can have a custom bowie knife, suited for your needs and a military bowie knife that is a perfect partner for the Swiss knife.
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