Trazy's photostream  

Animal fur being pulled from burdock burr (left).
Velcro being pulled apart (right).

In 1941 George de Mestral pulled some burdock burrs from his dog after a walk. Intellectual curiosity led him to discover its sticking mechanism through microscopy observation. He saw the potential applications for this mechanism and patented Velcro in 1951.

Use of this photo is prohibited without the express consent of the photographer.