In article ,
(Rex B) wrote:

On Mon, 31 May 2004 08:41:06 +0100, "Leon Heller"
wrote:

||"CWLee" wrote in message
...
||
|| Can anyone here point me toward an authoritative history of
|| hex head nuts and bolts? I see square nuts and bolts in old
|| machinery and tools in museums, but I don't think I've seen
|| a hex head nut or bolt in anything built before 1900. Does
|| anyone know who invented/developed the hex head nuts and
|| bolts? When, where, why, etc? Any info on this topic
|| appreciated.
||
||Probably Sir Joseph Whitworth - he standardised the threads used in screws
||and bolts in 1841 and must have standardised the heads as well. There was a
||TV program about him recently here in the UK.

And every kid who bought a ratty TR4 in the 1960's knows the name Whitwort,
although most thought his first name was "Goddam".
Texas Parts Guy

You know Snap On still shows Whitworth 3/8" drive sockets and
combination wrenches in their catalog! Just looked at their site to
confirm.

Erik