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The needle is one of the oldest implements used by man. Some people still sew with awls of bone or of thorns or make needles of iron or steel, with a construction under the pin-like head around which the end of the thread is tied. The Chinese are believed to have been the first to use needles of steel, and the Moors are credited with bringing them to Europe.
By 1370 needle making was established in Nuremberg, Germany. In England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the manufacture of needles was taken up on a considerable scale in small shops; after 1650 the manufacture of hand-sewing needles gradually became an important industry in England, and later in Germany. Subsequent developments included adding an eye to the needle and the gradual development of machines for the manufacture of needles. One such machine, introduced in 1785, produced a steel rod from which two joined needles were formed.
The first needles to have eyes drilled into them were made in 1826 on a stamping machine, but the mechanical process for the production of needles was not fully developed until 1885. Needles include those designed for hand and machine sewing and knitting.
 Research Needle
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Abbreviations
SciTech
