The inventor considered to be the forefather of modern keyrings was the owner of two thriving shoe factories. He was also gifted with a great voice, which took him, among others, to the court of Queen Victoria....

SINGING

Fredrick J. Loudin was an African American, the child of free farmers in Ohio. He excelled in education and was one of the few black citizens at the time to graduate from college. Extremely musically gifted, he took up composing, teaching music and directing a choir. But not only that - he was also a businessman, successfully managing large shoemaking enterprises.

Although, as a member of an African-American gospel choir called the Fisk Jubilee Singers, he spent several years touring all the continents (having just sung for, among others, Queen Victoria of the British Empire), he found time to invent and patent (in 1864) the object that is considered to be the first key ring.

KEY RING FOR SPECIAL TASKS

From our perspective, the resemblance of the so-called key clasp by Loudin to a keyring is slight. However, given that the clasp was permanently attached to the key and the key was thus carried around with it, it most closely matches the definition of a keyring. So what was this clasp?

It was an anti-burglary system. Firstly, it was permanently attached to the key, making it difficult to lose. Secondly, once the key was inserted in the door lock, it prevented the key from being pushed out from the outside. Thirdly, by encompassing by its design both the key in the lock and the knob (handle) in the door, it prevented the latter from turning. Unfortunately, due to racial prejudice, Loudin never received full recognition or due royalties for his invention.

However, his memory lives on, and we hereby pass it on.