12 июня 1897 года запатентован нож «Викторинокс»

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov once remarked that a real man (muzhchina in Russian) consists of a husband (muzh) and a rank (chin). The Victorinox knife was created during Chekhov's lifetime, and it is worthy of being counted among the essentials kit. You can uncork a bottle and cut a snack, saw off a board and tighten a screw, measure seven times with a ruler and cut once with scissors, look through a magnifier and pick up with tweezers, pick your teeth and write down your thoughts with a ballpoint pen hidden right there, and that's not the end. So, what's a real man without a workshop in his pocket? The year Anton Chekhonte was graduating from the medical faculty, his peer Karl Elzener founded his own business in the Swiss town of Ibach: he started making knives. Then he became preoccupied with the needs of the army – Switzerland could only get their hands on the German Solingen. His soldier's knife was strong, but heavy; his cadet's, student's, and farmer's knives added to the line, but they were by no means masterpieces. But the officer's knife was a success: the inventor added an excess blade and a corkscrew to the scarce soldier's set of blades, awl, can opener and screwdriver, and placed all six items on two springs. On June 12, 1897, Elsener patented the wonder-knife. Later, the inventor-manufacturer will get a permission to put the coat of arms of Switzerland on the knife and will name the knives after his mother – “Victoria.” Also, when stainless steel – “Inoxidable” in French – was invented in the twenties of the next century, they immediately started making knives of stainless steel, which was denoted by the short “inox.” Thus the Victorinox, the knife of officers, presidents and astronauts, which is included in their regular equipment, was born.