Simply sign up to the Life & Arts myFT Digest -- delivered directly to your inbox. Lasting though its legacy has been, the Zippo wasn’t the first handheld lighter on the market. In the early 1930s ...

Zippo lighters are iconic. The durable, refillable lighters debuted in 1933 and have transcended generations. While new versions still aren’t as cheap as your average plastic Bic lighter, some models ...

Until the mid-1930s, modern types who preferred lighters to matches made do with an Austrian lighter that needed two hands to strike up. George G Blaisdell in Bradford, Pennsylvania, noted that the ...

This iconic American brand has been around since 1933, but you might not know its rich history. 1. The original lighter was inspired by a clunkier Austrian version. The idea for the windproof lighter ...

The Zippo lighter is easily recognizable: a rectangular metal shell with beveled edges and a gently curved flip-top. That simple design is just as easy to copy, and Zippo Manufacturing Co., which has ...

Zippo Manufacturing Company has been making its signature metal-cased lighters with their distinctive “click” lid for 80 years. Now this American icon can boast another milestone: the 500 millionth ...

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. Zippo addict John Clayton, 36, believes he has under- insured his collection of 1,100 lighters by some ...