Invention of Tire Chains – Dale’s Daily Data [VIDEO]

Officially he called it a "Grip-Tread for Pneumatic Tires," a non-skid tire chain to increase traction on roads slick with mud, snow or ice. His name was Harold Weed and he worked for a machine shop east of Syracuse that made all kinds of items including car engines.

Weed noticed some people tied rope around their tires to get better traction on muddy country roads. So he basically used the same idea but instead of rope he used metal chains linked together and then placed them around the tire by deflating the tire, then inflating it again. They were originally intended for traction in mud, but worked great in snow and ice too.
To promote his tire chains, Weed challenged magician Harry Houdini to escape from a series of chains that were looped around each other and locked around two tires. Except once when the chains were wrapped so tight around his neck he was turning blue, Houdini performed the stunt during a week-long appearance at a New York City theatre.

The patent for tire chains was granted on this date in 1904. Weed went on to invent a number of other things including a device that synchronized machine guns for use in airplanes in World War One.

There are all kinds of tire chains these days. Here's an example of how to install tire chains:

SOURCE: History Channel