"Billy... identified [the lock] as a Chubb rather than a Bramah, which is reputably unpickable."
Frederick Forsyth, The Fourth Protocol (1984)
The British inventor Joseph Bramah (1748-1814) patented eighteen new ideas during his lifetime, including the fountain pen, fire engine, and beer hand-pump, but remarkably he is most famous for his safety locks. His lock design had ingeniously included notched sliders that made it nearly impossible to pick.
Bramah was so sure of his locks that he offered a cash prize to anyone who could pick it open. The Challenge Lock, as it became known, caught media attention and boosted the profile of his company as the lock resisted all effort for at least fifty years; the money remained unclaimed during Bramah's lifetime. The lock was eventually opened by A. C. Hobbs, an American, although it took him sixteen days to do so.
The original of the famous lock can now be found in the Science Museum in London.
Bramah's locks were very difficult to make by hand and later Bramah took on a young apprentice called Henry Maudslay. With Bramah's bright ideas and Maudslay's practical talent they created machinery that could make the locks at an economic price. Maudslay went on to invent the screw cutting lathe, which revolutionized manufacturing.
Bramah's company survives in London and is run by a descendant of Joseph. They continue to make locks based on his original design, which still exceeds British and European standards.
