Here is my oldest tool. In the Fall of 1956, I was 6 years old and walking to school. As I walked along, I heard a metallic clang and saw an object sliding along the street. I must have realized it had fallen off the bumper of a car that had just passed. I ran over and saw a pair of slip-joint pliers, picked them up and ran after the car, which had stopped for a traffic light. Before I could get there, the light changed and the car drove off. The pliers became my first actual tool.


The long curved handles made it easier for small hands to get a good grip.