Some inventions are so simple we take them for granted, assuming they have always been part of everyday life. As simple as sliced bread, you might say. And, if you eat sliced bread, you know this one well — the bread twist tie.
Charles E. Burford, a farmer and inventor from Maysville, Oklahoma, came up with the twist tie in 1961 after watching his wife struggle to keep bread fresh in paper bags. His solution was elegantly simple: a thin wire encased in paper that could twist and hold its shape. It worked. It stuck. It became standard.
Today's twist ties — often wrapped in plastic — seal everything from bread bags to garbage sacks. Billions are used each year in a range of sizes, colors, strengths and materials, quietly helping reduce food waste by keeping products fresh. Even the colors serve a purpose, signaling the day bread was baked so shoppers can grab the freshest loaf.
Some people even re-use these twist ties for other functions, like bundling electrical cords, labeling spare keys or securing young plants to stakes or trellises. I have even seen them wrapped around earbuds to prevent tangling when not in use.
And yet, for all their usefulness, twist ties and I are not on good terms.
I untwist them off the bread wrapper, set them down for just a second and — gone. Vanished. It’s as if there’s a tiny portal on my countertop dedicated solely to swallowing twist ties. I could switch to silicone bands or plastic clips or even a clothespin. But no. I grab the bag, give it a tight spin and tuck the end underneath, hoping for the best.
What I really prefer are those small plastic bread tags, invented by Floyd G. Paxton in the early 1950s. Legend has it he fashioned the first one from an expired credit card while on a flight — proof that necessity, and maybe boredom, really is the mother of invention. His idea led to Kwik Lok Corporation, now the world’s leading producer of those handy little clips.
So, here’s to the overlooked heroes of the bread aisle — the twist ties we lose and the plastic tags that somehow stick around. They may not be glamorous, but they keep our bread fresh, our kitchens functioning and our small daily frustrations alive and well.
Have a terrific Tuesday, and thank you for reading.
Shane Goodman
Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com
Read more of Shane Goodman's columns here. | 
