July 14 is National Tape Measure Day in the United States. We don’t know who started this, but it does exist, according to NationalDayCalendar.com. A patent was obtained on July 14, 1868 by Alvin J. Fellows of New Haven Connecticut. It was for improvements in tape measures. We don’t know what the improvements were. Today’s best tape measures are a flexible steel tape in a durable metal case, with a retractable feature and a belt clip. Smaller pocket tapes are very popular, too, like the Barlow 6 foot tape measure.
The most intriguing tape is the Pipe diameter tape measure. It measures the
diameter of a round object like a tree or pipeline, when you wrap it around the circumference. It eliminates the need to divide by pi (3.14159).
Today, tape measures are so inexpensive, that it pays to have one in your tool box, tool belt, garage, vehicles, and house, and boat.
