The 125-year-old Swiss Army Knife “Leaves Russia”

The “Swiss Army Knife” is not only a useful tool but also a gem with cult status. NASA astronaut reminded “Never leave the planet without one.”

When Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and his commander arrived at the Mir space station with the space shuttle Atlantis in November 1995, they encountered a problem opening the hatch they were supposed to enter. The door was locked too tightly. “We broke into the Mir using a Swiss army knife,” Hadfield later recalled. Then he gave a tip about the Swiss Army Knife: “Never leave the planet without one.” Needless to say, the Swiss Army Knife is now part of the gear of NASA’s astronauts.

This gadget enjoys a cult status not only among astronauts but also among millions around the world. Few other products can match the “Swiss Army Knife” in terms of popularity, uniqueness, utility, and versatility. This folding installation has even entered several museums, such as the New York Museum of Modern Art.

The “Swiss Champ” model combines a total of 33 functions. It consists of 64 individual parts that go through 450 work steps during production. It is now impossible to pinpoint exactly which model a doctor is using when performing emergency surgery on a domestic flight in India. However, the truth is that the doctor saved a child’s life with a folding knife. The child swallowed a candy and choked hazard. But there are no correct medical surgical instruments on the plane. The child survived after doctors perform a tracheotomy with a knife from a passenger.

After World War II, pocket knives, from the Alpine countries, became a popular souvenir, especially for American soldiers stationed in Europe. That’s how the Swiss Army Knife came to be known in the United States and then spread around the world.