Clothes hanger

The second is the wooden hanger, which consists of a flat piece of wood cut into a boomerang-like shape with the edges sanded down to prevent damage to the clothing, and a hook, usually of metal, protruding from the point.

Plastic coat hangers are also produced in smaller sizes to accommodate the shapes of children's clothes.

[1] Referred to as a coat-hanger, the small piece of fabric attached to the nape of the neck inside a coat or jacket was developed in 1830, enabling the hanging of such types of outer clothing.

[4] An employee of the Timberlake Wire and Novelty Company, Albert J. Parkhouse of Jackson, Michigan has also been credited with the invention.

In 1906 Meyer May, a men's clothier of Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first retailer to display his wares on his wishbone-inspired hangers.

Some of these original hangers can be seen at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Meyer May House in Grand Rapids.In 1932 Schuyler C. Hulett patented an improved design, which used cardboard tubes mounted on the upper and lower parts of the wire to prevent wrinkles, and in 1935 Elmer D. Rogers added a tube on the lower bar, which is still used.

The soft, plush padding is intended to protect garments from shoulder dents that wire hangers may make.

The production of hangers from recycled materials reduces waste, conserves energy and resources, and lowers greenhouse gas emissions.

This development is a natural progression in the evolution of hangers, aligning with global efforts to reduce plastic waste and promote sustainability.

Collecticus magazine reported in October 2007 that clothes hangers have now become collectible, especially those with a famous company or event advertised across the front.

In 1995, while performing surgery in an airliner at 35,000 feet (11,000 m), orthopedic surgeon Angus Wallace and his fellow doctor Tom Wong used an unfolded coathanger, sterilised with brandy, as a trocar to stiffen a catheter for use as a chest tube to relieve a passenger's pneumothorax.