They Invented it When?

One of the earliest types of locks, first found in the Near East and dating from about 2000 B.C., was little more than a wooden bolt with some holes drilled into it. When the bolt slid into place, pins on the door dropped into the holes and held it in place; the key was another piece of wood with the same pattern of pegs, which lifted the pins when inserted. The technology didn't improve much until 1778, when Robert Barron conceived of the lever-tumbler lock. A series of levers in the lock had holes at varying heights. Only a key with the right pattern of ridges could line up all the levers and allow the bolt to move, but the lock was easy to pick. In 1784, Joseph Bramah invented a nearly unpickable device, but it was so intricate it could not be mass-produced. Linus Yale Jr. finally hit on ...