13 July 20

Tomorrow (14 July) marks the 132nd anniversary of the patenting of the "spring-click tape measure," by Alvin J. Fellows. It differed from earlier tape measures because it had a "spring-click" that allowed the user to lock the tape when it was extended, "so as to hold the tape at any desired position." My tape-tie (?) is locked at 13-1/4 inches, roughly equal to 34 centimeters.