History of razors
1880 A hoe-shaped razor is manufactured in the United States. 1901 King Camp Gillette invents a safety razor with doubleedged replaceable blades. With the introduction of disposable blades, users did not have to have stropping skills to sharpen their razor blades. By 1904, Gillette razor sales soar to 90,000. During World War I, Gillette issues its razors to U.S. armed forces and creates worldwide promotion. 1915 Women begin shaving their underarms in response to a pictorial featured in Harper’s Bazaar magazine. The pictorial featured a model with shaven underarms wearing a sleeveless dress. 1921 U.S. Army Col. Jacob Schick invents a razor inspired by the military’s repeating rifle which has replacement razor blades stored inside its handle. Users can change out an old blade without ever touching the new blade’s surface. 1931 U.S. Army Col. Jacob Schick markets an electric dry shaver with oscillating blades. 1960s-’70s Disposable razors that do not require sharpening or replacement arrive on the market. 1961 Wilkinson Swords adds Teflon to razor blades to create a smoother shave. 1971 Gillette introduces the Trac II razor, the first twin-blade razor. 1977 Gillette introduces the Atra, the first twin-blade shaving system with a pivoting head 1990 Sensor was the first razor with twin blades individually mounted on highly responsive springs. 1998 Gillette introduces Mach3, the first razor with three aligned blades. 2000 The male shaving industry accounts for more than $7.1 billion U.S. in sales worldwide. September 14, 2005 The Gillette Company today announces the launch of Gillette Fusion and Gillette Fusion Power, the first razors to feature advanced technology on the front and on the back of the blade cartridge.