6 November 1928: Jacob Schick patents the first electric razor

On this day in 1928, Jacob Schick was issued a patent for the electric razor after he invented one based on the reloading mechanism of a repeating rifle.

Jacob Schick
The exceptionally smooth-cheeked Jacob Schick
(Image credit: © Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)

You could be forgiven for thinking that combining razor blades with the reloading mechanism of a repeating rifle sounds downright dangerous. But in fact, it was the basis of a design for a safety razor that Jacob Schick came up with in 1921.

At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Schick joined the US Army and was sent to the Philippines. After nearly dying from dysentery, he was posted to Alaska for health reasons, but found the cold made it difficult to shave.

Hot water was hard to come by, and numb fingers made it dangerous to replace worn-out razor blades. A self-reloading or repeating razor solved the problem of the numb fingers, but not the water. So Schick put his mind to inventing a dry motorised razor.

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In 1925, Schick set up the Schick Magazine Repeating Razor Company in New York. The repeating razors were a commercial hit, and three years later, Schick sold his stake to the American Chain & Cable Company.

Schick poured all his energy and money into finally launching his electric razor, for which he received a patent in November 1928. The electric razor was launched in 1931. Schick sold over a million electric razors in two years, at $25 each. But while he was a great inventor, Schick was no accountant, and it wasn't long before the taxman came after him.

In 1935, Schick fled to Canada. He renounced his US citizenship and spent the rest of his life being pursued over dodgy business practices.

Meanwhile, other companies took advantage of his self-imposed exile to muscle in on the electric razor market. Soon after, Jacob Schick contracted pneumonia and died in 1937.

Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

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