March 1: The Master Locksmith

Harry Soref, an itinerant locksmith who invented the laminated steel padlock and founded the Master Lock Company in 1921, died at age 70 on this date in 1950. Soref patented his padlock in 1924 and began to manufacture them in Milwaukee soon after; his locks had several layers of steel for maximum strength, like a bank vault or a naval vessel, and became a sensation in 1928 when federal prohibition agents bought 147,600 of them to lock up speakeasies they had raided. Harry Houdini and Soref were buddies in the circus for a number of years, and Soref advised the great escape artist about hiding keys to pick locks. According to his grandson, Soref “had an incredible relationship with his employees. That’s part of the reason the company was so successful. He cared dearly about them and they cared about him. He’d have employee picnics and he’d give them gifts. He just really cared about them.”

“He loved to play cards so much. His story was -- if you take one card, it’s easy to tear. If you look at a deck of cards, like a phone book, it’s hard to tear. That’s kind of where he got the idea for a padlock that is layer upon layer of steel.” —Harris Turer (grandson)